Mercy is God’s nature. God’s merciful love holds nothing back. As the psalmist says, “His mercy endures forever.” A wave of mercy is poured out over all humanity. As Saint Faustina quotes God in her diary, “I am Love and Mercy itself. There is no misery that could be a match for My Mercy. . .. The soul that trusts in My Mercy is most fortunate, because I myself take care of it”  (Diary 1273). The Hebrew word that we might translate as “mercy” is hesed, which is also translated as “lovingkindness.”  (Yes, that’s one word.)

Perhaps we are fearful today, or we may feel misery. So how can we change our fear and misery to trust in God’s mercy? We can start with the ABC’s of mercy:  Ask for God’s mercy.  Be merciful. Completely trust in Jesus. We can ask God’s mercy to inspire us to lead more prayerful lives. We can be more merciful ourselves, as we root out anger and jealousy while performing acts of lovingkindness. We can help our social, political, and religious systems become agents of mercy. Above all, we can trust that we are in God’s hands.

Let us practice mercy. As Shakespeare wrote, “The quality of mercy is not strained. / It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven/ Upon the place beneath. It is twice blessed:/ It blesses him that gives and him that takes.” May the mercy of God be upon our newly elected leaders, and may our country be twice blessed as it extends mercy.