There are conflicts and crises anywhere; in our country and in our world. We, too, find ourselves, tried, tested, and even tempted. We sometime feel excruciating pain because of immense problems we face. We can be distressed and discouraged. Like others we can be experiencing ridicule and rejection. We suffer and we are in sorrow.

          During these moment to whom do we return? We turn to Jesus. It is only Jesus, it is always Jesus. He always reassures us; He is always there waiting for us and is ready to welcome us…the forgiving father embracing his prodigal son.

          Much more, Jesus walks with us; walks towards us. He looks at us with caring eyes and tells us, invites us “come to me, all you who work hard and who carry heavy burdens and I will refresh you. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble of heart; and you will find rest” (Matthew 11: 28-29).

          Jesus is mercy. To go to Him is to experience His mercy. To take Jesus into our hearts is to live His mercy. The very life of Jesus is mercy. He is mercy for us. Mercy is His mission. And the mercy of Jesus flows through His threefold office.

First, the mercy of Jesus as priest

Second, the mercy of Jesus as prophet

And lastly, the mercy of Jesus as pastor

First, it is the mercy of Jesus as priest.

In his letter to the Hebrews, St. Paul affirms that “we have a great High Priest, Jesus the Son of God” (4,14). And St. Paul continues, as High Priest, “appointed to be their representatives before God to offer gifts and sacrifices for the sins” (5,1). The mercy of Jesus

As priest is shown when He suffered for us and when He saved us.

Second, it is the mercy of Jesus as prophet.

          During His public ministry, Jesus was always teaching and preaching. We can see these in the Gospels. Saint Matthew tells us, “Jesus had entered the temple and was teaching…” (21, 23; Like 13, 10) even the Pharisees acknowledged Jesus as “an honest man and truly teach God’s way” (Matthew 21, 16). God the father confirms Jesus urges us “this is my Son, my Beloved, listen to Him (Mark 9, 7).

          In Biblical terms, “prophet” refers to a person who speaks for God and His name. he proclaims the Word of God to all, not only through His words, but much more through his actions, his lifestyle. PresbyterorumOrdinis, a decree of Second Vatican Council on the Ministry of Life of Priests, attests, “Jesus is the great prophet who proclaimed the Kingdom of His Father by the testimony of His life and power of His words”(35). We see the mercy of Jesus as prophet when He speaks about God, and when He shows us the goodness of God.

Third, it is the mercy of Jesus as our Pastor

          Jesus speaks to us. His words are full of compassion and concern. His words save. His words soothe our hearts and heal our hurts. The Words of Jesus is His mercy. They forgive. They express the depth and breadth of God’s immeasurable love for us. His Words are truth. His Words are life. Jesus protects us. He does not want us to perish, to be scattered and to get lost. He defends us. He defends us for all our needs. And at the end Jesus gives up His very own life for us, for our salvation. Saint Matthew writes that Jesus “did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many” (20,28). In His mercy Jesus serves to save us. With His mercy Jesus suffered for humankind and restores us back to the Father.

 

Let us bring Jesus from our hearts here, to the hearts out there, from our country to the rest of the world. Jesus is mercy. Mercy is His message. Mercy is His gift to us. His mercy is now our mission. Let us give mercy to all. Let us share His mercy to one another and to the world.

By: Jaycee G. Salandanan | Clerk | Bonifacio Camacho National High School