Thought for the Day – 5 October – The Memorial of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos C.Ss.R. (1819-1867)
“The Cheerful Ascetic”
From His Preaching: On Divine Mercy
“Oh, if only all the sinners of the whole wide world were present here! Yes, even the greatest, the most hardened, even those close to despair, I would call out to them, “The Lord God is merciful and gracious, patient and of much compassion” (Exodus 34:6). I would show them why the Apostles call God the Father of Mercy, the God of all consolation. I would tell them that the prophet in the Old Testament even said that the earth is full of the mercy of God and that mercy is above all His works.
O, Mother of Mercy! You understood the mercy of God when you cried out in the Magnificat, “His mercy is from generation to generation!” Obtain for all sinners a childlike confidence in the mercy of God.
It is not His justice but His mercy which is the motive of your trust. He is the God of all consolations and the Father of mercies. He does wish the death of a sinner but that he be converted and live. He came to heal the sick and to seek those who were lost. He spared the woman taken in adultery. He showed mercy to the thief crucified with Him. He took upon Himself our punishment. He prayed for His murderers. He now intercedes for us at the right hand of God. None of the damned was ever lost because his sin was too great but because his trust was too small.”
AnaStpaul 