Scripture

Let us return to the writings of the Patristic scholar Henry Chadwick and his summary of St. Augustine's fully developed doctrine of salvation.

The third thing that makes St. Luke's gospel the gospel of mercy in a special way is its emphasis on the universal scope of Divine Mercy: God intends to embrace all people with His mercy, through Jesus Christ.

We have seen so far that the New Testament does not substantially alter the Old Testament definition of Divine Mercy, but it does show us just how deep and all-encompassing God's merciful love for us really is.

Much of the message of Divine Mercy in St. Luke's gospel has its parallels in the other gospel accounts.

If the Son of God Himself is overflowing with merciful love, it is no wonder that the New Testament encourages everyone to place all their trust in Him, and in His heavenly Father.

There is no brand-new teaching – nor a new definition of Divine Mercy – to be found in the New Testament, but there is an incomparable manifestation of the very depths of God's merciful love for us through the Incarnation, life, death and Resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.

In the Biblical concept, Divine Mercy is expanded. First, there is the promise that God's mercy will be showered not only upon the Israelites, but one day upon all the Gentile nations as well. Secondly, the People of Israel are encouraged not only to believe in Divine Mercy and to call upon the Lord, but also to be merciful.

WEEK 5: The theme of Divine Mercy echoes throughout the Psalter.

If our definition of Divine Mercy is accurate, then it has to fit not only with the meaning of the Biblical terms for mercy, such as "hesed," "rachamim," and "eleos," but also with the whole story of God's dealings with His chosen people Israel, and with all that He has revealed to us through Jesus Christ. As the Catholic biblical scholar John L. Mackenzie claimed: "the entire history of the dealings of Yahweh with Israel can be summed up as 'hesed'."

How can God fill us with His grace if we are already full of ourselves?