In Spain, there is a crucifix

 (I think this poem is by Fr Mateo Crawley-Boevey SSCC.)

In Spain, there is a crucifix, with one arm of Our Lord
Hanging down, not fixed thereon, they say with one accord -

It happened that a certain man fell deep in sin and shame.
He, to the priest for pardon, with deep contrition came.
The priest was loathe to give it, the man though pleaded sore,
And so the good priest pardoned him but warned, "Now sin no more!"

The sinner went off happy, but, sad it is to tell,
Into the rut of evil ways, again he weakly fell.
Back to the priest for pardon, he came with grief anew,
The priest refused it, saying, "Your sorrow is not true!"
The poor man begged and pleaded, and so the priest gave in,
But said that nevermore would he absolve such a grievous sin.

The sinner went off, full of joy, his weakness though was great,
And soon alas, he fell again, into his sinful state.
This time the priest was adamant, "I will not pardon you,
Your sorrow and repentance are shallow and untrue!"
In vain the sinner pleaded, for pardon as before.
The priest was now determined to absolve the man no more.

Suddenly they were disturbed by anguished sobs of pain,
So loud, so unmistakable, they listened once again.
It was as if the tenderest heart, with bitter grief was broken,
The sound just pierced their very souls, although no word was spoken.
They looked, the church was as before, but then they saw above
The crucifix was there alive, the sobs were those of Love.

Then Jesus to His own dear priest said tenderly, "My son,
You have not shed your blood for him, as I his Lord have done!"
Then that dear hand, transfixed by love, detached itself instead
To make a large "Sign of the Cross" over the sinner's head.

Until this day that loving Hand so often raised in blessing,
Has not returned to where it was, but now all priests addressing -
Says, "Pardon, pardon, mercy, mercy, on sinners pity take.
Ah, draw them to My loving Heart, and love them for My sake!"

The Blessedness of the Merciful - Cardinal Bacci

The Blessedness of the Merciful

1. Let us meditate now on the mercy of God, which is infinite even as His justice is infinite. "His mercy," says St. Thomas, "does not subtract from His justice, but is the fullness and the perfection of that justice." (S. Th., 1, q. 21, a. 3 ad 2) All the merits which we can acquire in the sight of God derive from His gratuitous gift of grace. God's... mercy and justice, therefore, are fused together in a wonderful harmony which claims our gratitude and fidelity.

References to the mercy of God are numerous in Sacred Scripture. “You, Lord, are good and forgiving,” says the Psalmist, “abounding in kindness to all who call upon you.” (Ps. 85:5) “Blessed he the Lord,” we read elsewhere, “my rock, … my refuge and my fortress, my stronghold, my deliverer…” (Ps. 143:2) “Goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for years to come.” (Ps. 22:6)

When we leave the Old Testament and open the Gospel, we discover that it is a record of the goodness and mercy of God. We have only to recall Christ's forgiveness of the Magdalen when she wept at His feet for her faults; the merciful judgment which He passed on the poor adulteress; His loving glance in the direction of St. Peter, who had denied Him; the grace so miraculously granted to St. Paul on the road to Damascus; and the parables of the good Samaritan, the prodigal son, and the good shepherd who went to search for the lost sheep. Finally, there are the consoling words to the repentant thief: "This day thou shalt be with me in paradise." When we read this chronicle of infinite goodness and mercy, we should experience a boundless hope and confidence. It does not matter how great our sins or our ingratitude may have been. Once we have repented, God is ready to forgive us and to receive us with open arms.

2. Since God is so merciful to us, however, He requires us to be good and merciful to our neighbour. “Blessed are the merciful,” Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount, “for they shall obtain mercy.” (Mt. 5:7) St. James adds a stern warning. “Judgment,” he says, “is without mercy to him who has not shown mercy; but mercy triumphs over judgment.” (James 2:12) If we hope to receive God's mercy, we must show compassion to those who are poor or unfortunate in any way, even to the greatest sinners. In the presence of so much need and misfortune in the world, avarice, miserliness, selfishness or indifference cry out to God for retribution. If we are not prepared to give, nothing will be given to us. If we refuse to forgive, neither shall we be forgiven. If we do not love, neither shall we be loved.

3. Let us remember that we have often made ourselves God's enemies by our sins. We were often in need when we were deprived of divine grace. On these occasions God was merciful to us, for He granted us His forgiveness and His friendship. These gifts of God place an obligation on us to behave in the same way to those who are in need by assisting them willingly and generously, and to those who are unhappy by consoling them as far as possible.

Let us remember the great principle which Jesus Christ has given us. “Even as you wish men to do to you, so also do you to them… Do good to those who hate you… Do not judge, and you shall not be judged; do not condemn and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you shall be forgiven, give, and it shall be given to you…” (Cf. Luke 6:30-38) “With what judgment you judge, you shall be judged; and with what measure you measure, it shall be measured to you.” (Mt. 7:1) So it will be on the day of death when we shall have to appear before the Supreme Judge.

Let us be generous throughout life in giving help and consolation to others. It is more blessed to give than to receive, as the Gospel says. By giving we shall find a little happiness even in this world, and shall be certain that one day the most merciful Judge will pardon and embrace us.

Falling into Sin - Cardinal Bacci

Falling into Sin

1. “The just man falls seven times,” (Prov. 24:16) says the Book of Proverbs. Unfortunately, we have all experienced how true this is. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves.” (Cf. 1 John 1:8)

We fall often in many ways - in thought, in speech, in action, and by omission. Sometimes we fall in a moment of weakness or of impatience; at other times we sin by an act of premeditated malice. “Watch and pray,” Our Lord warns us, “that you may not enter into temptation.” (Mt. 26:41)

Our Lord also said that we “must always pray and not lose heart.” (Luke 18:1) In other words, we should have a spirit of prayer which is based on the love of God and keeps us close to Him. It is only when we are united to God that temptations cannot hurt us and we are protected by His grace from falling into deliberate sin.

It is idle to protest that this would require the virtue of an anchorite, and that we are entangled in all kinds of other business. Virtue is necessary for everybody, not only for anchorites. “The kingdom of heaven has been enduring violent assault, and the violent have been seizing it by force.” (Mt. 11:12) In order to attain to the kingdom of God, therefore, we have to do violence to our corrupted nature. A life of solitude is not essential for prayer, however. One can be busy from morning till night and pray continuously, so that his work is offered to God and done for the love of God. In this way work becomes prayer and will save us from falling into sin.

2. When we realise that we have fallen, what should we do about it? We must avoid two extreme and opposing kinds of reaction - hardness of heart, and an excessive anxiety which might lead to discouragement and loss of confidence in God's infinite mercy. Above all, we must avoid hardness of heart, and that accompanying state of indifference which causes us to become immersed in sin. Let us hope that we shall never foolishly boast: “I have sinned, yet what has befallen me? for the Lord bides his time. Of forgiveness be not over-confident, adding sin upon sin.” (Ecclus. 5:4-5) When we see that we have fallen into sin, let us cry out at once like the prodigal son: “I will get up and go to my Father.” (Luke 15:18) How unfortunate I am if I have lost the friendship of God! But God is an infinitely merciful father and I must throw myself into His arms and implore His forgiveness. When we have sinned, a good confession will give us God's forgiveness and peace of soul.

3. The second extreme to be avoided is discouragement, which can lead us to despair as Judas did. We know that God is entirely good and merciful. We know that Jesus died on the Cross for our salvation. How can we doubt that He will welcome us if we repent and return to Him?

No matter how grave and how numerous our sins may be, let us remember that the mercy of God is infinite. Let us remember that He is waiting for us, as his father waited for the prodigal son, and that He is following us like a shepherd who is searching for his lost sheep. He allowed us to fall in order to humble us and help us to realise that we are incapable of doing anything good by ourselves. Let us go to Him humbly and penitently, trusting He will give us the kiss of peace and forgiveness.

Staying chaste and compassion for others - St Philip Neri

"One of the most efficacious means of keeping ourselves chaste, is to have compassion for those who fall through their frailty, and never to boast in the least of being free, but with all humility to acknowledge that whatever we have is from the mercy of God."

The Mercy of God - Cardinal Bacci

The Mercy of God

1. God is the Being Who is infinitely true, beautiful, and good. His goodness is manifested in His infinite love for all the creatures which He has made, but it is in His relations with sinners in particular that we call Him merciful. He loves all things which He has created and directs them towards Himself, their beginning and their end. When He is dealing, however, with beings endowed with free will, who can separate themselves from Him and even offend Him, He tries while respecting the liberty which He has given them to recall them to Himself by the influence of His love and of His grace. It is this supernatural outpouring of love towards sinners which we call mercy.

The mercy of God shines forth in all the pages of Sacred Scripture. In the Old Testament there is promised and foreshadowed in many ways the coming of the Saviour of the sinful human race. In the New Testament Jesus appears, made man for our salvation, meek and humble of heart, and merciful towards the unfortunate, especially towards sinners. For them He offers His life and His Precious Blood, dying on the Cross with His arms outstretched, as if in an embrace of forgiveness. He tells us that He has not come to call the just, but sinners, (Luke 5:32) and that He has not come to those who are in health, but to those who are sick; (Mark 2:17)He assures us that if we ask the Father for anything in His name, it will be given to us. (John 16:23) So much goodness should move and soften our hearts. Even if we are unfaithful servants and are covered with the leprosy of sin, let us go to Him and He will heal us. Even if we have deserved Hell a thousand times, let us shed tears of repentance at His feet as Magdalen did, and He will give us His forgiveness and His peace.

2. Let us meditate in particular on certain passages in the Gospel in which God's mercy for sinners stands out most vividly and appealingly. There is the incident of the adulteress who is brought before Our Lord by the hypocritical Pharisees. According to the law she should have been stoned to death. Jesus looks at her accusers, who harbour in the secrecy of their own hearts God knows how many abominations but strut about in public with the mien of stern and impeccable judges. Then He rivets His gaze upon the shamefaced woman who is looking like a soiled rag thrown away on a dust-heap. When Jesus addresses her relentless judges His voice is steady: “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to cast a stone at her.” When they all drift away with lowered heads, Jesus says pityingly to the woman: “Has no one condemned thee?... Neither will I condemn thee. Go thy way, and from now on sin no more.” (Cf. John 8:3-11)

Elsewhere Jesus is called "the good shepherd" who knows His sheep and calls them to Himself one by one. If a poor sheep is lost, He leaves the other ninety-nine of His flock and searches for it, nor does He rest until it has been found. When He sees that it has been injured, He carries it back to the fold upon His shoulders. Who could forget the touching parable of the prodigal son? He had left the house of his aging father and had gone to a distant country where he had squandered his inheritance in the course of a low and worldly life of pleasure. When all his money had been spent he was very much alone, and was reduced to such circumstances that he took a job looking after unclean animals. One day when he was weeping over his fate, he made a sudden resolution. “I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee. I am no longer worthy to be called thy son.” His father had been waiting for him for many years. He met and embraced him and gave him the kiss of pardon. Then he held a great feast because his son had repented and come home. He "was dead and has come to life, he was lost and is found." (Cf. Luke 15:11-32) No matter how great our faults may be, let us trust in the infinite mercy of God, and when we go to Him He will grant us forgiveness and peace.

3. Remember, however, that if God's mercy is infinite so is His justice. When we realise that we have fallen into serious sin, we should not give way to despair as Judas did, but should turn to Jesus trustingly and contritely, saying with the Psalmist: “My refuge and my fortress, my stronghold, my deliverer, my shield, in whom I trust.” (Ps. 143:2) We shall certainly be forgiven. It would be the highest form of ingratitude to abuse God's goodness and mercy. Let our repentance be sincere and effective. In return for the infinite goodness of God let us give Him our love, limited indeed but willing and constant.

Blessed are the Merciful - Cardinal Bacci

Blessed are the Merciful

1. If we want God to show mercy on us, we must be merciful to those who are in material or spiritual distress.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” (Mt. 5:7)

Let us recall the Gospel parable about the king who was making out the accounts of all his servants. One man was brought before him who owed him the enormous sum of ten thousand talents. He had no means of paying the debt. In order to obtain at least some compensation, the king ordered that this servant should be sold, together with his wife and children. But the servant wept and implored, so that the king was moved with pity and pardoned him completely. When the servant had left the king's presence, he met a fellow servant who owed him a small sum, namely, one hundred pieces of silver. He threw himself angrily upon him and caught him by the throat, demanding that he should pay the debt immediately. The unfortunate fellow began begging for mercy with tears in his eyes, but it was no use. He was flung into prison and condemned to forced labour until such time as the debt would be paid. Soon afterwards the king came to hear of this incident. He was furious with the cruel servant and ordered him to be put in prison and severely punished. (Mt. 18:23-25)

This parable refers to all of us. What debts we have contracted before God! Nevertheless, He is prepared to forgive us everything, provided that we are also merciful towards our fellowmen. This should be a comforting assurance.

2. Some day each one of us will stand before the judgment seat of God and will have to render an account of all his actions. Are we anxious that God will be merciful to us at that crucial moment? Let us be forgiving and charitable towards others now. It is clear from the words of the Gospel that we shall be pardoned or condemned largely in accordance with the measure of our mercifulness and charity. God will show mercy towards us as we show mercy towards others. In fact, the Eternal Judge will say to the good: "Come, blessed of my Father, take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; naked and you covered me; sick and you visited me; I was in prison and you came to me." Then He will turn to the wicked and deliver this terrible sentence. "Depart from me, accursed ones, into the everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and you did not give me to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take me in; naked and you did not clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit me... Amen I say to you, as long as you did not do it for one of these least ones, you did not do it for me." (Mt. 25: 34-46)

These are terrifying words. They should persuade us to exercise charity towards all who are suffering in any way.

3. Works of mercy can be either corporal or spiritual. The former cannot be practised much by those who are poor, but any generous-minded Christian can perform the latter. Sometimes there is greater charity in speaking a kind word than in giving a large alms. Often it is worth more in the sight of God to comfort a sorrowful heart or to revive in some soul a dying hope than it is to fill a hungry belly. There are so many spiritual miseries which are crying out to be assuaged. The suffering of the soul is much deeper than that of the body. This is why anything done to soothe and encourage the soul is so valuable before God. We can also do something about the remorse, disgust and darkness which are the result of the state of sin. If we can succeed in enlightening or healing one of these poor souls, we shall have accomplished a work of mercy which is most beautiful and meritorious in the eyes of God.