“He who never forgets how deeply he has fallen finds it easy to practice mercy” (St. Augustine).
In His extraordinary wisdom, God is able to lead back to His ways even people who have made grave mistakes in their lives. Perhaps the person in question thinks – or others think of him – that he can no longer rise up from his sins and that therefore there is no longer any hope in his life.
But, once again, it is the Lord who sees things differently: He does not want anyone to be condemned and is willing to do anything to save them. In this context, it would be worthwhile to meditate deeply on a touching passage in the Father’s message, in which He Himself tells how much He strove to save a soul who offended Him time and again, and yet our Father wanted to have that person with Him forever in eternity.
People can do a great deal to have even the most serious sins transformed in the ocean of God’s mercy. This happens when they repent deeply and never forget how deep they have fallen and how God had mercy on them. In this way, God can use the shame of sin to melt the person’s heart. In this way, they themselves can become an instrument of God’s mercy.
We know well how much God loves mercy and how He rebukes those who set themselves up as merciless judges of others (cf. Mt 7:1-2). And because this is so, our Father looks with love on the penitent sinner who has converted, who has repented of his sins, and who has become merciful to others. On the other hand, He will call to account those who have forgotten mercy.