Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Health Vailankanni

The way Jesus acted during his mortal life shows us the greatness of his mercy towards sinners. We see that they all came to keep him company, and he, far from repelling them or at least, distancing himself from them, instead took every means possible to be found among them so as to draw them to his Father. He sought them in remorse of conscience, brought them back by his grace, and won them with his loving ways. He treated them with such goodness that he even defended them against the scribes and Pharisees who wanted to accuse them and seemed unwilling to suffer them close to Jesus Christ. He went even further. He wanted to defend the behavior to which he inclined in their respect with a parable that showed them, as no better, the greatness of his love for sinners, saying to them: "A good shepherd, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, left all the others (…)." He also added this parable of the woman who, having ten drachmas and losing one, lights her lamp to look for it in every corner of her house, and when she finds it invites all her friends to rejoice. (…) We see that Jesus Christ himself applies to himself these striking images of the greatness of his mercy towards sinners. Ah, what happiness for us to know that the mercy of God is infinite! What a violent desire should we not feel being born is us to go and throw ourselves at the feet of a God who will receive us with such joy! No, we shall have no excuse for damning ourselves when Jesus Christ will himself show us that his mercy has always been great enough to forgive us for whatever we may be to blame. (…) O my God! how could anyone consent to be damned when it costs so little to be saved and Jesus Christ desires our salvation so much?

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What happiness to know that the mercy of God is infinite!

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