In my last column, I wrote about having a proper sense of gratitude for God’s mercy and the ways in which the sin of presumption can be an obstacle to that appreciation.

 

There is also a flip side to presumption which becomes another serious obstacle to God’s mercy, and that is despair. Despair really means the loss of hope. 

 

Some sense of despair may creep into our lives at different times, often through no fault of our own. For example, realizing something I hoped for will not be possible, or that I’m unable to undo a past mistake, might cause a certain feeling of despair. But these examples are not really the same kind of despair which may exist in my relationship with God and His mercy. 

 

In our spiritual lives it manifests itself in the belief that God cannot or will not forgive me for something I’ve done. Or that my sins are so numerous or grievous, that its too late for me — I’ve strayed too far and am beyond help. 

 

This is an especially dangerous despair, and it may begin to grow in a person who suddenly falls into serious sin even though they had previously lived very high moral standards. It can also begin to show up in those who have committed particular sins such as abortion, once the reality of the sin sinks in. A person may even think that God has already condemned them. This belief about themselves can lead to any number of examples of self-destructive behavior.

 

Often despair and self-hatred go hand in hand, with one sometimes resulting in the other.  

 

None of these things ever come from God. The last thing God would ever want for us is to see ourselves as beyond the scope of His mercy. In fact, it would be impossible to be. 

 

Our sins, our own capacity for evil is never greater than God’s power to forgive. If it were, we would be more powerful than He is. 

 

Even if we spent our entire lives sinning in the most serious ways imaginable, we would never be able to commit greater evil than God’s mercy could forgive in an instant. 

 

We are limited. God, and His mercy are not. 

 

The insidious nature of despair is that it reverses this truth, and we begin to believe a fundamental lie about ourselves and God. We become imprisoned by our own mistaken belief, even to the point where we convince ourselves never to seek God’s mercy at all, because doing so would be pointless. 

 

Sometimes the real difficulty in seeking forgiveness exists in our inability to forgive ourselves. It is true, we can be so bothered by our past sins that we have a difficult time coming to terms with what we’ve done, but such difficulties have no ability to alter or impede the power of God’s forgiveness. 

 

God’s mercy is a reality independent of our perception or opinion.

 

It is no coincidence that the Jubilee of Mercy begins near Christmas. This celebration is a recognition that “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish, but might have eternal life.” 

 

Jesus’ birth is a sure sign not only of God’s plan for mercy, but of the intensity of His desire to forgive. Throughout the Gospels we see that Jesus entered our world precisely so we could be reconciled with the Father and that no one is ever beyond hope.  

 

And so perhaps the greatest thing we can do in the Year of Mercy, especially at this time of the year, is to avail ourselves of what God most desires to give and to show — His mercy. 

 

Whether we need a little of it or an abundance, God will never run out or tire of showing it, and this reality offers us the only hope that robs despair of its power.