Divine mercy is not for the immoderate pious or purist. They consider themselves untouchable by sin. However, sinners who long to be free from the guilt of injuring and inflicting wounds on others would understand the gift of divine mercy. Perhaps in our growing years, the image of God imparted to us was that of a judge or a policeman. During those years, if we committed mischiefs, God was the one who was waiting to pass judgement. And so, faith then was motivated by fear rather than by being loved by God. However, if we had an intimate encounter with God in spite of our misdeeds, we would discover that God is loving and merciful. This is the Mercy that we are celebrating today.

Unfortunately, there are still many people who come seeking to understand the logic of mercy instead of experiencing it. They are still fixated on the notion that God is one who will penalise the wrongs they commit. It is difficult to convince them that God is merciful. Of course, at the same time, we still have to make reparation for our sins. Just as in a court of justice, we may have a merciful judge but they will still need to dispense justice.

God's mercy is His response to our brokenness. and is not meant to break us further. We need to humbly surrender ourselves to His mercy, and let Him integrate our fractured image again.