Jesus is so many things to us. I think it is easier, sometimes, to think of Jesus as the Triumphant King or the ever vigilant Lion of Judah. It is easier to think about the Son of God as Divine and mighty in power.

But Jesus also wants us to recognize and know Him as a Merciful Savior and a gentle, Beloved Friend. As St. Catherine of Siena once observed, Jesus’ desire to Love and Forgive is His true nature:

“Strange,” she once said, “that so much suffering is caused because of the misunderstanding of God’s true nature. God’s heart is more gentle than the Virgin’s first kiss upon the Christ. And God’s forgiveness to all, to any thought or act, is more certain than our own being.”

Let the joy of Jesus’ Love and Mercy surround you today.

God loves us.
He loves us deeply and without end.
Love always wins.