I’ve always loved the mission of St. Faustina, to share the Lord’s message of Divine Mercy.

Mercy is a word I think we often gloss over or take lightly, but in all actuality it is a deeply profound word with so many layers. Mercy requires compassion. It requires forgiveness. Mercy requires humility, selflessness, and discipline. But most of all mercy requires love, and not simply for those that are easy to love. Mercy expects you to love when you’ve been wronged, when you are mad, or when you are hurting. It expects you to overcome evil and make room for the good.

Mercy expects you to love your enemies.

One of the best lessons of mercy and love is found in LUKE 6:27:36, which also happened to be the Gospel reading for Thursday’s Mass.

“But to you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, and get back the same amount. But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.“

The passage in its entirety is no doubt perfectly divine, but when we chisel down at our daily lives and place these words and actions into our very own lives, it gets all too real.

Love your enemies. It’s oh so difficult. Think of the person(s) who stir up your brokenness the most. Think of the people who have hurt you or abandoned you, the people who have made you feel small or have ridiculed you. Think of the people that have caused you harm. Now that you have thought of all those people, love them.

Do you feel they hate you? Love them anyway. Do they curse you? Love them anyway. Do they mistreat you? Love them anyway. Do you have angry feelings toward them? Love them anyway. Do you have legit reason to feel all those ugly things toward them? Love them anyway.

Plunge down to the inner workings of your heart and muster up the strength to turn the other cheek when they come at you to strike you. Be courageous for Christ. It is those that are the most difficult to love that need it the most. The only way to rid the hate and the ugliness is to love relentlessly.

When you find it nearly impossible to love because all you feel inside is hate, remember how the Father loves you. Remember his kindness and everlasting embrace despite the times you have slipped up and fallen. Remember his everlasting mercy.

Be always merciful as I am merciful. Love everyone out of love for me, even your greatest enemies, so that My mercy may be fully reflected in your heart.
~Words of Jesus to St. Faustina

He is merciful indeed. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.