Imagine if the justice of God prevailed over the mercy of God, what might be some consequences?
At the time before receiving Holy Communion, we would have to say, “Lord, I am worthy that you should come under my roof.” That could mean that we assert that we are free from all sin.
The parable of the prodigal son would likewise be different. After the son comes home empty handed and very hungry, his father will welcome him and then give him a very harsh correction because the son will deserve it. After the tongue-lashing, he will then give him the worst job on the farm as a punishment for his squandering away his possessions. Further, the father will finally wake up to the faithful son, who has stayed home and did his work. He will really be the new hero in this parable. The father finally decides to give his faithful son the party he deserves, clothes him with the finest robe, gives him a ring, and kills the fatted calf for him and his friends to celebrate. Meanwhile, the other son is out somewhere in the fields working hard and eating cheap gruel instead.
Going further in this mythical scenario, Thomas the apostle says he will not believe that Jesus came to the other apostles until he puts his hands into the wounds of Jesus. So the following week, Jesus comes again to the eleven and Thomas does place his hands onto the wounds of Jesus. Then Jesus says, “Because you did not believe, go! I do not want you to be my apostle.”
As for the other apostles, since they ran away from the cross, Jesus tells them they have to do penance for their betrayal. And Peter, who betrayed our Lord during his passion, is then removed from his office as head of the apostles, and John is put in his place. However, they will not have a mission for at least two or three years during which they will have to do penance for their failure to stand by Jesus at the cross as Mary did. Then after they have done their penance, Jesus will return and send them out to the nations.
During the course of establishing rules of the Church, it will become clear that babies will not be baptized because only those adults who can make a commitment and understand what they are undertaking will be worthy of the sacrament. Further, people will only be allowed to go to confession four times a year, and that after much preparation of fasting and prayer. Plenary indulgences and Masses for the dead will not exist since all souls in purgatory will deserve their punishment to be paid in full personally.
Above all, the sacrament of the sick will only be given once to a person toward the very end of one’s death. Holy Communion will only be received once a month at most. No sacrament can be received simply by desire. Therefore there will be no such thing as a “perfect act of contrition” or “spiritual communion.” There will be no such reality as “merit” before God because he will not owe us anything. It’s the other way around: we owe him everything. That is why the consecratory prayer of the wine at Mass will clearly say: “This is the chalice of my blood poured out for you and the few for the remission of sins.”
Christ’s redemption will consist in simply forgiving sin carte blanche without having to die for sins. He will suffer somewhat at the hands of soldiers and the leaders of the Jews, but he will walk away from them. Those, who inflicted some physical suffering on him, will all develop serious illnesses and die terrible deaths since they dared to kill the Son of God incarnate.
Mary’s role in our redemption will not really be necessary simply because the fiat of Jesus’s forgiveness of original and personal sin will suffice, and also he will become incarnate by appearing on the scene as an adult not needing a human family. During his sojourn on earth, he will clearly write out his doctrine and not leave it to humans to be inspired by the Holy Spirit, do some suffering for the future worthy persons, and then ascend into heaven.
Then the Catholic Church will be established. His demands or commandments will give grace to people who have faith. Once anyone falls out of grace by sinning, the road back will be much harder based upon God’s justice having been violated. What will be owed to him will be personal efforts at reconciliation through penance. He will not easily tolerate falls from grace. And anyone who resists conversion, reconversion, or leaves the faith even for a short time, will be eternally lost.
Moreover, actual growing in virtue will be the ideal because aiming for it will not be enough. God is more worthy than that. God will demand that we be advancing in virtue from the very beginning of our baptism. And even if we die in the state of grace, all we can be assured of is purgatory. Heaven will come later at the end of time, since all will not really be prepared for the beatific vision. On judgment day, most will be damned to hell based on God’s justice.
In this situation wherein justice prevails over mercy, it is easy to understand why we need Divine Mercy Sunday. It reminds us of God’s merciful love taking into account human frailty and therefore making it easier to find intimacy with him.
We have to keep in mind that God was not obliged to become man, suffer and die. Our Lord easily forgives sins through personal sorrow, confession of sins and the desire to repent is again merciful love.
Our religion comes down to God’s merciful love based upon his real desire to save one and all from a miserable eternity in the hell of damnation provided one does not resist his grace which is poured out in abundance. Much, but not all of the justice of God, is something he owes to himself, and his mercy to us is not owed but flows from and infinitely generous love for his children who easily go astray even after giving us assisting graces.
His mercy seems to trump justice since he is willing to forgive sinners multiple times even at their last moments as he did the good thief although one should not presume that this will happen to oneself. Divine Mercy Sunday sums up the whole of Christ’s saving mysteries for our sake. With the help of God’s grace, let us thank God for the gift of mercy and pray: Jesus I trust in you!
Father Basil Cole, O.P. is currently a Professor of Moral and Spiritual Theology, Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception, at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C. Father is also author of Music and Morals, The Hidden Enemies of the Priesthood and coauthor of Christian Totality; Theology of Consecrated Life. A native San Franciscan, Father has been a prior in the Western province of the Dominicans, a parish missionary and retreat master, and invited professor of moral and spiritual theology at the Angelicum in Rome.
