Images by Beautiful Light Photography
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” 1 Peter 1: 3
I love whenever through scripture and at mass we talk about Baptism and new life. I love how at Easter, when we renew our baptismal promise, we too are cleansed, through the sprinkling of the Holy water, and given new life. We get this new life every single year. We get this new life every single Baptism we attend and we renew our baptismal promises with the newly baptized. We get this every single time we realize that the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead gave us new life; because of His love and because of the great mercy He has for us
“not because of any righteous deeds we had done
but because of his mercy,
he saved us through the bath of rebirth
and renewal by the holy Spirit,” Titus 3:5
So how does this flow into His mercy being abundant? Well, one of my most favorite pictures ever comes from the Franciscan T.O.R Sisters that are based in Toronto, OH. During my time at Steubenville, I got extremely close to some of the sisters, and I got to visit their chapel a few times. Behind the altar is the crucifix, with rays of Glory coming from heaven, and there sits Mary at the foot of the cross. From Jesus’ side flows blood and water, which flows directly to where they have the tabernacle. I find it so breathtaking every time I look at this because it truly does show us how merciful He is. But it also shows us how abundant His mercy is.
Let me explain myself. God gave His only son for us. So that we might have life, Jesus, came to Earth, lived amongst the wickedness we live in, the hardships and filth. He could have given up right then and there; instead, He died on the cross for us, so that we might have life. He died on the cross for us, and He let his mercy, love, and kindness flow from His side so that it could fill us and give us life.
So His life refreshes us not alone through the renewal of our baptismal vows, but through the waters of everlasting life. His mercy is abundant through the sacraments, His mercy is abundant through His sacrifice, and His mercy is abundant in us. We have an opportunity to fill ourselves with His grace and Mercy.
If you want to see this beautiful picture take a visit to the Franciscan T.O.R Sisters, they love visitors. http://www.franciscansisterstor.org/chapel/artwork/
