God's Mercy Endures Forever!

God’s love is merciful! God does not love us just the way we are, because he loves us so much more than that. He loves us too much to leave us in our sinful condition. God loves us the way we were, that is, before the Fall from Grace, and the worse our sinful condition, the more he actually loves us to death, even to death on a cross. God loves us the way we were always intended to be when he created us, and, through Jesus Christ, he gives the grace to become even better than we were before we sinned. God’s love rescues us from our sinful condition, restores us to grace, and perfects us in his love. Our life of discipleship is a re-conditioning process of growth in holiness. Thus, God’s love is merciful, granting us salvation, sanctification, and glorification. God’s love changes our human condition for the better. God’s love for us here and now can best be described as merciful. As we pray in the psalms: “Let us give thanks to the Lord, for his mercy endures forever.”

Our Salvation unfolds through Justification, Sanctification, and Glorification. Let us all respond to the universal call of holiness in our spiritual lives!

Justification. The world as we know it is not how God intended it to be. We messed everything up through sin. Jesus came on a search and rescue mission to save us from our sinful condition.

Sanctification. When we accept the merciful love of God through repentance and follow in the footsteps of Christ in the community of his church, our human condition changes for the better.

Glorification. As forgiven sinners, transformed by the merciful love of God, we already share in the glory that is to be fully revealed in us for all eternity. Eternal life thus begins here and now.

Thus, we can say that we have been saved (justification), we are being saved (sanctification), and we will be saved (glorification). Thanks be to God!

Unconditional Love is a current ideological concept that does not adequately express the merciful love of God for us. Based on secular humanistic psychology from the 1970’s, unconditional love actually attempts to put God into a corner. “If God does not love me just the way that I am, then I will not believe in Him.” The false god of unconditional love cannot require us to repent and change our lives, because we don’t think we need to be forgiven for anything. Thus, “unconditional love” actually sets conditions on God, when its terms should really apply to us. If any love can be described as unconditional, it would be our love for God, in thanksgiving for his merciful love that he has shared with us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for our salvation. Remember that the name of God is mercy. “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, and his mercy endures forever.” Let our lives then be filled with mercy as well!

Moralistic Therapeutic Deism takes the ideology of unconditional love to its logical conclusion. It is moralistic in that we are supposed to just be nice on our own terms. It is therapeutic because it wants us to just feel good about everything, no matter what. It is deistic because its god does not have the audacity to meddle in human affairs or require anything of us. In other words, its god has been created in the image and likeness of the secular humanist, self-referrential, and autonomous individualism. The god of MTD is not really worth believing in, and certainly not one who inspires commitment or sacrifice. In contrast to the fictional god of MTD is the real God who has revealed himself to us in creation, in history, and in the person of Jesus Christ. Christ our God came to us on a search and rescue mission to save our lost souls. Christ is the only God worth believing in and, with him, we really have a life that is truly worth living.

CatholicChristian.org provides a resource for discovering Christ, following Christ, and sharing Christ. By adopting a Catholic Christian Lifestyle, we can experience the success, the fulfillment, and happiness that comes to us in Jesus Christ, our Savior, and our God. It all begins with prayer, it continues with learning, and it reaches out to others in Christian service.

Looking upward in faith, moving forward in hope, and leading onward in love, we are all invited to experience new life in Christ. Let God’s merciful love heal our human condition, restore us to goodness, and empower us to express our unconditional love for the God who created us, saved us, and blesses us! For more information about Catholic Christianity, please click here.


Here are some additional reflections on God’s merciful love, and how our unconditional love for God brings us an inner peace that leads to eternal happiness. God’s love is mercy. Our love for God should be unconditional!


Throughout these reflections, remember that we are human beings, not just human doings. While the good is something that we are called to do, holiness is someone whom we are destined to be, by God’s grace.


Here are some additional resources in this regard: Where is that in the Bible? and Why is that in Tradition? Also, check out Catholic.chat for information from the Catechism, and Magisterium.com for information about church teaching in general. As Saint Paul says, “Hold on to the traditions that you have received from us, whether by word or by letter” (II Thessalonians 2:15). Catholic.com also provides inspirational explanations of our Catholic teachings as well.

Divine Mercy invites us to pledge our unconditional love to God, in lifelong thanksgiving for all that he has done for us. Here are some further resources to help us understand and embrace his Divine Mercy with gratitude:

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner! Fill me with your Spirit so that I may live a new life. Help me to know you, to love you, and to serve you in this world, so that I may be happy with you, both now and for all eternity. Thank you, Lord. Amen.

Repent and Believe in the Gospel! Because the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand in Jesus Christ, we are called to excellence, called to greatness, that is, called to holiness by Christ through the power of his Spirit within us. When we repent, we recognize the error of our ways. Then we can appreciate why the gospel is good news and thus unconditionally believe in it and live it. Thus, Jesus’ first words in Mark’s Gospel show us what happens to our human condition when we embrace the merciful love of our Heavenly Father: the kingdom of heaven is upon us! God had a plan, but we caused a problem; and yet Christ had a provision, which shows us our pathway back to God, and forward to our ultimate destiny in God. For more information about our human condition and how our salvation in Christ changes our human nature for the better, please click here. The kingdom of heaven is at hand! Repent and believe in the Gospel!

Unconditional Love also parallels the ideology of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Even though people insist that we should keep religion out of politics, there are attempts to put politics into religion. It is not a good fit. For a reflection on Critical Grace Theory from a Catholic Christian perspective, please click here. Diversity is really all about catholicity, for God wishes that all people would be saved through Christ. Equity is evident in that all of us have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. Inclusion is an invitation to enter into a covenant with God through our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior in the community of his church, as forgiven sinners on the way to sainthood. Anything less than that is an ideology which is really not worthy of our consideration. God’s Merciful Love is such a wonderful gift that we should love God back in return, completely and unconditionally. Christ is waiting for you to respond to his invitation! So, wake up and answer his call. Christ is looking forward to enlighten you with his truth and to infuse your immortal souls with his sanctifying grace.

Awake from Wokeness! Woke is the post-modern word for Enlightenment. Both the Enlightenment and the Woke movements are really not what they declare themselves to be. A few centuries ago, people celebrated their Enlightenment from the so-called Dark Ages that preceded them. One only has to visit a medieval Gothic Cathedral or read a treatise by Saint Thomas Aquinas to dispel that modern myth about the darkness of the Middle Ages. At any rate, when people declared that “I think, therefore I am,” they attempted to set faith and reason apart from each other. Science supposedly replaced faith as the arbiter of truth, but that did not last very long. In our post-modern era, instead of following the science, people are declaring instead that “I feel this way, and therefore, this is how things had better be from now on, or else!” That is not an improvement! That is not progress! And, even more, from the  enlightened Woke perspective, only unconditional acceptance (love?) of its ideology can be tolerated. Otherwise, non-conformists are singled out and cancelled in the name of the latest secular religion of Wokeness.

Thus, the false cult of Reason was replaced by the even more false cult of Emotion, or the will to power. What is the origin of these moments? It is all recorded in Genesis: “When you eat of the tree of good and evil, you shall be like God!” But, before they ate the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve were already like God in his image and likeness! And after they partook of the forbidden fruit, they were no longer like God, in whose image and likeness they were created! Scripture warns us that the devil masquerades as an angel of the light! That is why Catholic Christians refer to the condition of the newly baptized as the Enlightened ones, who have awakened from the darkness of sin, and now walk in the footsteps of Christ. What does it take to really be awake (not just woke) and truly enlightened? It means to be deprogrammed from the ideology of the world, to be re-conditioned into the image and likeness of God, and to grow in our unconditional love for God who created us, redeemed us, and looks forward to glorifying us forever. Please click here again to learn even more about the Catholic Christian alternative.

Universalism and False Consolation. Do good people go to heaven? Well, that all depends on a lot of things. Here are some starter points for a discussion about how goodness fits in with our ultimate fulfillment in heaven. Then please carefully study the Bible and the Catechism on this issue before you succumb to the false consolation of universalism in regard to salvation. Like the Woke doctrine of unconditional love, universalism denies our need of a Savior to rescue us from our sinfulness. Please don’t take a bite out of this forbidden fruit either! Instead, just believe in Jesus, that is, believe Jesus!

  • First of all, who decides what good is, and on what basis? Is it based on personal choice, societal values, situational specifics, divine decree, or something else? If we cannot all agree on what goodness is, do there also have to be multiple heavens for each brand of goodness as well?
  • Second, how much goodness is necessary for us to get to heaven, and who determines the minimal quality and quantity of goodness needed? This puts us in a similar position to the first question in this article. If we can’t define it, we can’t quantify it either. Another dead end!
  • Third, if all good people go to heaven because of God’s unconditional love, then why be good at all? And why did Jesus have to suffer such a tortuous death on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, which really don’t count as sin at all, since we are all good anyway?
  • Fourth, even if people don’t go to church or pray, and as long as they are “good-er” that bad people, or scored higher on the goodness spectrum, does this work? Once again, whose definition, in what quantity, on what terms, and on whose terms? We can’t just make this up!

As Catholic Christians, the Bible and the Catechism teach us that we were all created good by God, but then we sinned by doing bad and wrong things. When Jesus came to set things right between us and his Father, we crucified him. And yet he forgave us anyway and gave us a new kind of goodness on God’s terms. The only goodness that matters is holiness. Holiness is goodness on God’s terms. When we repent of our sins and believe in the Gospel, the Kingdom of heaven is truly at hand for us, and we experience the first fruits of eternal life here and now.

What happens to other “good” people? Since we only know that it took the sacrifice of the cross to make us holy and acceptable in God’s eyes, we cannot make a judgment on other “good” people, which means that we can neither condemn nor acquit them of sin. So, what should we do? We should evangelize them and invite them to discover the truth of what God has revealed to us fully in the person of Jesus Christ. This starts with our good example of holy living, but it continues with our testimony to others and our invitation for them to come to Jesus with us as well.

 As Saint Augustine once said, “there are some in the church who are not of it; and there are some who are not in the church who are of it.” So, even if God might possibly have other plans for other people, we only know what has been revealed to us about our salvation in Christ. For everyone else, pray for them, give them a good example, and reach out to them with the message of salvation in Jesus Christ. To do anything else would not only not be good; it would be irresponsible on our part. Live and preach the Gospel at all times! Then you will not only receive blessings but be a blessing to others as well!

You bet your (eternal) life! Blaise Pascal promoted a Divine Wager as a way of addressing the issue of our accountability to God at the moment of our death. The Divine Wager, although only a philosophical reflection, does help us ponder what is at stake in our relationship with our merciful and just God.

  • If we say that there really is a God who will judge us upon our death, and we live our lives on this premise . . . but there is no life after death, and hence no accountability or judgment, just nothing . . . then we will never know what a fool we were for believing in God.
  • However, if we say that there is no God, and therefore no accountability after death, but there really is such a God who will judge us, then we will have all eternity to regret what fools we were for disregarding God’s teachings and blessings during our mortal lives. 

So, where do you want to place your bet in a Divine Wager such as this? Only our unconditional love of God will see us through at our time of judgement. These sobering thoughts can help us turn more fully to God in thanksgiving for all that he has done for us in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

To judge or not to judge . . . is that really the question? Besides, how did you arrive at that judgment about judging anyway? We cannot not judge, so we may as well judge well. That is what Jesus really taught. When he said, “Judge not lest you be judged,” Jesus meant this: “Judge not by human standards, lest you be judged by God on divine standards!” The Bible not only teaches us how to judge well. It instructs us on how to discern (judge) spirits to see whether they be from God or not. Judgmentalism or rash judgment is wrong, but wise judgements are our responsibility before God and others! So, when we judge, we should have the prudence of God to do so with justice, mercy, and hope for repentance. Then love the Lord unconditionally!

When you repent, you submit yourself to the judgment of God by pleading guilty of your sins. When you thus throw yourself upon the mercy of the court, so to speak, you discover that you are pardoned instead of punished because of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Jesus got what we deserved, so that we could receive what Jesus deserved: the glory of eternal life! Thus, as forgiven sinners, we are on the way to becoming saints, both on earth and in heaven. For more information about the blessings of the Catholic Christian Lifestyle, please click here. Please explore the CatholicChristian.org website as well, and take the ChristLife course, either online or at your local parish, to discover, follow, and share the merciful love of Jesus Christ.

Spiritual Rabbit Holes. When we are not at peace with God or ourselves, it is usually an indication that either we have not faced up to an unresolved sin in our lives or have not forgiven someone who has hurt us. Although these factors are not always the case, they are the most likely suspects to scrutinize.

  • When we question whether someone we know will get to heaven after all, in spite of their apparently unchristian behavior, explore whether there is some unresolved guilt in your own life. And then pray for yourself as well as for that person. Also, reach out to them with the gospel as well.
  • When we question the fairness of God, especially in regard to some misfortune or tragedy, explore whether God is calling you to something heroic and sacrificial. Through prayer and charity, we can bring consolation to those who are hurting, and thus turn a moment of sadness into a time of grace.
  • When we question whether we can accept a particular Christian teaching, explore whether we are just refusing to give ourselves back to God unconditionally for all that he has done for us in Jesus Christ. Then go to Confession and recommit your life to Jesus in Holy Communion.

If we are angry with God for any reason, reflect back on a time when you were happy with God. Then ask yourself the question as to who really changed. Most of the time, it is clear that we ourselves are the ones who have changed. God’s merciful love leads us to trust him unconditionally. Come back to him!

Spiritual and Religious. Isn’t it enough to be spiritual, instead of being religious? The short answer is “no.” Here is the long answer. Being religious without being spiritual is like going through the motions, but without having faith. Being spiritual without being religious is like talking the talk, but without walking the walk. Being religious is the lifestyle that spiritually transforms your everyday existence for the better in Christ in the community of the Church. The opposite of spiritual is not religious – the opposite of spiritual is worldly. Being Worldly is acting as if this life were all that there is. Being Spiritual is realizing that there is so much more to life. Being Religious is living spiritually within a broken world. Religion is what connects your highest aspirations with your everyday lived experience. When you commit yourself completely to God with unconditional love, you are spiritually religious and religiously spiritual in God’s eyes. Please study the Bible, as explained in the Catechism, to appreciate how spiritual and religious go together, just like our souls and bodies, as redeemed by Christ.