In today’s Responsorial Psalm we proclaim: “The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness.” These words are taken from Psalm 145. These words and this psalm remind us that the God of love and mercy is not a Christian or New Testament discovery. This refrain of God’s love and mercy runs throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament and can very well be called the central message of the Scripture. Pope Francis soon after he became Pope spoke these words in his homily:
“The message of Jesus is mercy. For me, and I say this with humility, it is the Lord’s strongest message.” (The Name of God is Mercy)
When we compare the message of John the Baptist and Jesus there is a key difference. John preaches wrath and judgment whereas Jesus preaches love and mercy.
“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” (Matthew 9:12-13).
In today’s Gospel Jesus delineates a clear difference between John the Baptist and himself:
“Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”
John is an Elijah figure who prepares the way of the Lord, calling for repentance in words and in action:
“When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.’” (Matthew 3:7-8)
Today as we approach the Lord Jesus we pray: “Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.” We approach God with faith and trust because as we proclaim in today’s Responsorial Psalm: “The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness.” We are assured of God’s love and mercy.
Image: “St John the Baptist” by Lawrence OP is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.