Episode 3022: The Cry for Mercy - Morning Episode

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Liberalism is a Sin: Fr. Félix Sardà y Salvany

The Cry for Mercy and the Promise of Living Water
Host: Pax vobis! where we deepen our love for Christ and His Holy Church through the timeless wisdom of the saints, the sacred liturgy, and the beauty of Catholic Tradition.
Today is Monday of Passion Week, April 7th, 2025 the beginning of the fifth week of Lent and the second day of Passiontide. Passiontide is a sacred time of deeper sorrow and contemplation as we draw nearer to the suffering and death of Our Blessed Lord.
Epistle: Jonas 3:1-10
In those days, the word of the Lord came to Jonas the second time, saying: Arise, and go to Niniveh, the great city: and preach in it the preaching that I bid thee...
And the men of Niniveh believed in God: and they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least...
And God saw their works, that they were turned from their evil way: and our Lord God had mercy upon His people.
Reflection:
Here we are reminded of the great mercy of God for those who repent. The Ninevites, though Gentiles, responded to divine warning with fasting and penance. The king even commanded that beasts wear sackcloth! What a powerful image. This kind of humility moves the heart of God. As St. John Vianney said:
"The tears of the repentant are the wine of angels."
In our day, the call to repentance is more urgent than ever. We live in a world that glorifies sin, mocks penance, and seeks to silence the voice of truth. But God does not abandon His people. Passiontide is the time to awaken from slumber, to rend our hearts and not our garments.
Gospel – John 7:32-39
At that time, the rulers and Pharisees sent ministers to apprehend Jesus... Jesus said: If any man thirst, let him come to Me and drink. He that believeth in Me, as the Scripture saith, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water...
Reflection:
Christ reveals here not only the hardness of heart of the Pharisees but also His divine mission: to quench our thirst not with earthly drink, but with the Holy Ghost, who proceeds from Him.
St. Augustine reminds us:
"He thirsted for us that we might thirst for Him."
Christ promises rivers of living water to those who believe in Him. What is this water? Grace, truth, the indwelling Holy Spirit, and yes the sacraments.
During Passiontide, let us examine whether we have lost that thirst. Have we become lukewarm? Are we indifferent to the treasures of grace Christ offers through His Church?
Today, Holy Mother Church calls us to imitate the Ninevites not in fear alone, but in faith. They believed God. They changed. And God, in His mercy, spared them.
This shows us something vital in our current dark age. Despite scandals, lukewarm shepherds, and widespread apostasy, Christ does not abandon His Church. As He said in Matthew 28:20:
"Behold, I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world."
He will never abandon us. He will never leave us without the sacraments, the Holy Mass, or valid priests. In every century, no matter how wicked, He raises up saints, renews His Church from within, and preserves His grace for the faithful remnant.
Today, April 7th, is a ferial day, which means the Lenten liturgy continues without interruption. However, in some traditional calendars, we commemorate St. Herman Joseph, a Norbertine canon regular of the 13th century.
St. Herman was known for his tender devotion to Our Lady. As a child, he would place flowers before her image and even spoke with her miraculously. He composed the beautiful “Canticle of the Virgin” and is known as “Mary’s Little Clerk.”
His pure and childlike love for the Blessed Mother is an example for us especially during Passiontide when Mary shares so intimately in the suffering of her Son.
QUOTES FROM THE SAINTS
St. Alphonsus Liguori on the Passion:
"He who desires to meditate with profit on the Passion of Jesus Christ should read the third chapter of the Lamentations of Jeremiah. There he will find described the griefs of Jesus Christ, under the figure of the griefs of the Prophet."
St. Catherine of Siena:
"We are not to fear suffering, for it is a great grace. Suffering united to Christ becomes redemptive."
Let us now pray together:
Prayer:
O Lord Jesus Christ, in these final days before Thy Passion, grant us the grace of true repentance, like the people of Nineveh. Pour Thy Spirit into our hearts, that we may thirst for Thee alone and be filled with the living waters of grace.
May we never grow cold or indifferent to Thy sacrifice. And may we, like St. Herman Joseph, draw close to Thy Holy Mother, whose pierced heart teaches us to suffer well.
Grant us holy perseverance, pure love, and a contrite spirit, that we may one day share in Thy Resurrection. Through the same Christ our Lord.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Thank you for joining me. As Passiontide deepens, may our hearts be softened and renewed. If you thirst come to Him. The living water flows from His Sacred Heart.
Until next time, keep the faith, seek holiness, and never stop thirsting for God.