God is the Merciful God. We know this from the Sacred Scriptures. God revealed Himself to us, His Face and His Heart, He Himself, as narrated in the Book of Exodus.
God revealed Himself to Moses with the following words, "The Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness". (Exodus 34;6).
God never tires of forgiving (Jonah 4:2, Joel 2:13, Psalm 86:15, Psalm 103:8, Nehemiah 9:17). The Old Testament prepared the way and led us to the full revelation of Jesus Christ, Who reveals the Father's Mercy.
The Lord is Merciful. This words evokes an attitude of tenderness as that of a mother dealing with her child. The image it suggests is that of God Who is moved and becomes tender for us as a mother when she takes her child in her arms.
The Lord is Gracious. He gives grace, has compassion, and, in His greatness, bends over the one who is weak and poor, always ready to receive, to understand, to forgive. God is like the father in the parable of the Prodigal son. The father does not shut himself away in resentment because of the younger son's abandonment, but, on the contrary, continues to wait for him. The father forgives his son unconditionally upon the son's return.
God is slow to anger. God is able to wait, and His times are not the impatient ones of humankind. The Almighty is long suffering and has capacity to endure. God waits for us to repent and return to Him, even if this takes years of His constant reaching out to us.
The Lord is abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. God Who is great and powerful, has no problem in stooping down to our level, we who are weak and small. In fact, God has so loved the world that He sent His only Son to incarnate in the tiny body of an infant human, in order to save all humankind from the consequences of sin and the dominion of satan.
God's faithfulness is without limits and never fails. The Lord is the Guardian Who does not fall asleep but watches constantly over us to lead us to life.
"He will not allow your foot to slip;
or your Guardian to sleep.
Behold, the Guardian of Israel
never slumbers nor sleeps. ...
The LORD will guard you from all evil;
He will guard your soul.
The LORD will guard your coming and going
both now and forever."(Psalm 121:3-4, 7-8).
Let us entrust ourselves totally to God, and experience the joy of being loved by God the Merciful and Gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
(Source: Culture of Life Apostolate, St Charles, Victory Park. Catechesis "Mercy in the Bible." Pamphlet)
