Carmelite priest is martyred.
38 year old Fr. Thomas Pandippallyil, was assassinated on the night of August 16th on his way to a village to celebrate Sunday mass. His body showed signs of torture, with wounds to his face, his hands and legs broken and his eyes pulled from their sockets. The bishop of Hyderabad denounces the growing climate of “violence against Catholics” in the country. - Asia News
“God’s mercy endures forever.”
Last week I wrote a post discussing the idea that there is a limit to God’s patience with the sins of men - examples in scripture attest to that. Nevertheless it can be a very disconcerting thought for people genuinely concerned for their salvation - or the salvation of loved ones. What is necessary is for the soul to have confidence in God’s mercy, and as St. Benedict and other saints have often repeated, “NEVER despair of God’s mercy.” As the Psalmist says, “His mercy endures forever.” No sin is so great that his mercy is not greater still.
Divine Mercy.
In his revelations on the Divine Mercy to St. Faustina, our Lord is very clear about these matters. I will post a few things he had to say about his unfathomable mercy below. The excerpts are from the saint’s diary, so I’ll note the paragraph in case you would like to reference the context of the quote.
1588 - I do not want to punish aching mankind, but I desire to heal it, pressing it to my Merciful Heart. I use punishment when they themselves force me to do so; my hand is reluctant to take hold of the sword of justice. Before the Day of Justice I am sending the Day of Mercy.
998 - I am giving mankind the last hope of salvation; that is, recourse to my mercy.
1146 (39) - Let the greatest sinners place their trust in my mercy. They have the right before others to trust in the abyss of my mercy. My daughter, write about my mercy towards tormented souls. Souls that make an appeal to my mercy delight me. To such souls I grant even more graces than they ask. I cannot punish even the greatest sinner if he makes an appeal to my compassion, but on the contrary, I justify him in my unfathomable and inscrutable mercy. Write: before I come as just Judge, I first open wide the door of my mercy. He who refuses to pass through the door of my mercy must pass through the door of my justice…
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