God’s judgement always includes the offer of His mercy; we need to be willing to receive it
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
We celebrate the feast of St. Louis, King of France, on Aug. 25.
Providentially, we’re reading from 1st Thessalonians as we celebrate our patronal feast. One of the themes of St. Paul in this letter is the relationship between “is” and “ought”: It is the case that we are loved by God, therefore we ought to live Christian lives as a response to that love.
St. Louis lived the relationship between “is” and “ought” seamlessly, in both private and public life — that’s what made him a saint! Of course, to imitate his example is not simply to do the same things he did: We’re not 13th-century French royalty, after all! Our secondary patrons — Sts. Vincent de Paul and Rose Philippine Duchesne — did very different things in their lives. But what made them like St. Louis, and what made them saints, was that they forged a close bond between the “is” of God’s love for them and the “ought” of their actions for others. A fitting way to celebrate the feast of St. Louis is to ask how we can do the same.
One of the reasons we need to ask that question is that the Gospel readings this week speak a hard truth: There is a judgment.
So often, people imagine a Jesus who is all cuddles and affirmation. But we hear Jesus this week pronounce His seven “woes” to the Pharisees in Matthew 23. That’s Jesus, too. And we hear Him tell parables in Mathew 24 and 25 where people end up thrown “into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.” That’s Jesus, too.
Let’s reflect on Jesus’ judgment more deeply. We all need mercy, and Jesus’ judgment always contains the offer of mercy. But the unrepentant can’t receive mercy. Note: That’s not a failure on God’s part. It’s not that God fails to offer mercy; it’s that the unrepentant can’t receive it as mercy. When a cup is turned upside down, it can’t be filled — not because the coffee isn’t being poured. When a student thinks he already knows everything, he can’t be taught — not because the teacher isn’t offering. When an athlete thinks she has no improvement to make, she can’t be coached — not because the coach isn’t advising. It’s similar with God’s mercy and the unrepentant.
The fact that there is a judgment isn’t just a threat; it corresponds to a desire of our hearts. We don’t want God to treat sin and injustice as though they weren’t real or didn’t matter. Even our movies show this: We want someone to set things right. A generation of movie-goers that was raised on “The Avengers” epic should smile when St. Paul says: “For the Lord is an avenger” (1 Thessalonians 4:6).
We want someone to set things right — and we can be assured that the Lord will do so! But that means there will be a judgment.
What matters most, then, is that we become people who are repentant and therefore willing to receive mercy, and therefore able to receive mercy. Then we won’t fear God’s judgment, but welcome it.
