Why Pardon is the Key to Serenity of Heart: from 'Misericordiae Vultus'

Misericordiae Vultus (“The Face of Mercy”) Highlights

By Pope Francis

From Paragraph 9: Pardon is the Key to Serenity of Heart

• In [the parable of the lost coin, lost sheep, and the two brothers] we find the core of the Gospel and of our faith, because mercy is presented as a force that overcomes everything, filling the heart with love and bringing consolation through pardon.
• [The parable of the unforgiving servant] contains a profound teaching for all of us. Jesus affirms that mercy is not only an action of the Father, (but) it becomes a criterion for ascertaining who his true children are. In short, we are called to show mercy because mercy has first been shown to us.
• Pardoning offences becomes the clearest expression of merciful love, and for us Christians it is an imperative from which we cannot excuse ourselves. At times how hard it seems to forgive! And yet pardon is the instrument placed into our fragile hands to attain serenity of heart. To let go of anger, wrath, violence, and revenge are necessary conditions to living joyfully.
• Let us listen to the words of Jesus who made mercy an ideal of life and a criterion for the credibility of our faith: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Mt 5:7).
• As we can see in Sacred Scripture, mercy is a key word that indicates God’s action towards us. He does not limit himself merely to affirming his love, but makes it visible and tangible.
• The mercy of God is his loving concern for each one of us. He feels responsible; that is, he desires our well-being and he wants to see us happy, full of joy, and peaceful. This is the path which the merciful love of Christians must also travel. As the Father loves, so do his children. Just as he is merciful, so we are called to be merciful to each other