I wrote 4 of these songs to echo some of the themes that run through the talks I give at conferences and retreats.
Track 1. In His Name. This song is a mini-teaching about the ABC’s of Mercy and the 3-fold command of Jesus for us to become like God. The ABC’s of Mercy (Ask for God’s mercy – Be merciful – Completely trust in Jesus) teach us how to become true children of the Father and fulfill His desire that we become like him: “Be holy because I am holy” (Lev 19:2); Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48); Be merciful as your Father in heaven is merciful (Lk 6:36). Jesus is sent by the Father not simply to redeem us from sin but to call us (and enable us) to be holy.
Track 5. From the Cross. The cross of Jesus “speaks and never ceases to speak of God the Father who is absolutely faithful to His eternal love” (Pope John Paul II, Rich in Mercy). The cross reflects the Father’s unending desire to wash away our sins and heal our wounds through the blood of Jesus. God is not limited by time or space, so the cross of Jesus exists in the Eternal Now of God.
From the cross, Jesus loves each of us with the personal, intimate, forgiving love of the Father. Embracing our entire past, present, and furure, he takes all our sins into His body, and when He dies, our sins die with Him. We are freed from the chains of sin and restored in the Father’s love -“By His stripes, we are healed” (1 Pet 2:24). Forgiven and healed, we are empowered to become channels of forgiveness and healing for others.
Track 7. Mother of Mercy. I wrote this song at 2:00 a.m. the night before my first grandson, Joseph, was to be baptized. My son-in-law Jason had mentioned that he and my daughter Colleen had felt a strong desire to somehow include Our Lady in the christening ceremony, but they hadn’t really come up with anything. So, the next morning my daughter Erin and I sang this song for Joseph at the ceremony. It’s a special prayer to Mary as Mother of Mercy.
We are all called to drink the cup that Christ drank, all called to be baptized like Jesus in the water, the blood, and the Spirit. The blood and water that flowed from the heart of Jesus as a fountain of mercy is a sign of this baptism, a call for us to be completely immersed or plunged into His mercy. Mary, whom Simeon prophecied would have her own heart pierced, stood at the foot of the cross offering her Son to the Father and receiving the outpouring flood of mercy not only for herself but for us. Baptized in His mercy, she becomes the mediatrix of mercy for us. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, she unites herself with the offering of Jesus and, with Him, baptizes us in the mercy of the Father.
Track 10. Endless Mercy. This is a paraphrasing of the 23rd psalm as a very personalized prayer. Instead of “The Lord is my shepherd,” it begins, “O Lord, You are my shepherd.” To me, it is a summary of the message of mercy, and it’s the most important message for each of us to hear.
God is a Father and He loves you so much that He can’t take His eyes off you. Nothing you ever do or ever have done can change His love. It’s forever and it’s unchangable. We each need to hear Him say, “I have loved you with an everlasting love … I have carved you in the palm of my hand … even if a mother forgets her child, I will never forget you.”
His mercy follows us “all the days of our lives,” seeking to bless and heal and restore all that has been lost. If we can only learn to walk in the blessings of that constant love, we will, bit-by-bit, be drawn into the holiness of God. We will become like Him, blessing in His name, forever transformed in the embrace of His endless mercy.
