Mike Pacer - Mercy and Hope

MERCY AND HOPE

Mike Pacer

IGNATIUS PRESS AUGUSTINE INSTITUTE

San Francisco, CA Greenwood Village, CO

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Nihil Obstat : Ryan B. Browning, S.T.L.
Censor Librorum

Imprimatur : + David J. Malloy, D.D., J.C.L., S.T.D.
Bishop of Rockford

All Scripture contained herein, unless otherwise noted, is from the New American Bible, revised edition 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Excerpts from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for the United States of America copyright 1994, United States Catholic Conference, Inc.Libreria Editrice Vaticana. English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Modifications from Editio Typica copyright 1997, United States Catholic Conference, Inc.Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Noted as CCC in the text.

Cover Design: Christopher Murphy

2017 Ignatius Press, San Francisco,
and the Augustine Institute, Greenwood Village, CO
All rights reserved

ISBN: 978-0-9993756-0-0 (PB)
ISBN 978-1-68149-796-9 (EB)

Original edition 2015, Mike Pacer.

Dedication

To my wife, Lori, who introduced me to the message of Divine Mercy and who constantly helps me to grow in hope.

We live in a world that sometimes seems more and more broken each day. In the face of a seemingly endless succession of wars, economic collapse, natural disasters, and random acts of violence, many of us find ourselves living with a pervading sense of fear and frustration. Even those of us who are Christians find ourselves struggling to make sense of it allto truly seek God, to come to terms with our own brokenness and need for mercy, and to find glimmers of hope, questioning whether its ever going to get any better. This book comes into that space with some powerful and inspiring answers.

The first thing I thought of when Mike Pacer asked me to read his manuscript (which I somehow thought was just a book about mercy) is that there can never be too much written about mercy. Indeed, in spite of radically differing personalities and styles, our last three popes have presented an amazing continuity of teaching, stressing that there is nothing the world needs more than Divine Mercy. It is more powerful than evil; it is the core of the Gospel; it is the most important message that Christ gave us.

When I wrote 7 Secrets of Divine Mercy , I chose the number 7 as a way of sticking with the theme of the first two books in what is now the 7 Secrets series. But there are many more hidden truths about the nature of God and his Church than the ones I chose to present. Some are in the hearts and minds of mystics and theologians, but unknown to most Catholics; and some remain within the mystery of the Triune God. So there is always more for us to discover! And on our journey to deeper union with God and greater transformation in our lives, we should always be seeking and asking for more, because God really does desire to reveal himself to us, to give us more of his gifts and more of himself.

Every person who speaks or writes on a particular topic tends to bring new insights and a new tone that makes the message hit you differently, because it comes through the filter of a completely unique individualone who, in this case, has personal experience of everything hes writing about.

Mike Pacer has an extensive background, and Ive been blessed to know him and his work for several years. As a trial lawyer in Chicago, he had a deep conversion of heart and went on to get his masters in theology, lead retreats, and start a ministry for parish evangelization and renewal. But his book is not a theological treatise; his writing, like his personality, is real and down-to-earth.

As I read through Part I, I was more and more impressed with how clearly and completely Mike leads us deeper into the reality of God as a perfect Father who did not create us casually, but with a specific purpose. This Father, Mike assures us, is not indifferent to his childrens daily struggles, but wants an ongoing personal relationship with us. God wants to walk with us, speak with us, share our hopes and dreams, bear our burdens and sorrows, guide us, guard us, and lead us to our perfection in Heaven.

What becomes clear as you read on is the all-important reminder that our creation by this Father includes a promised destiny: that, if we say yes to his gift of mercy, God will help us become like him so that we can live with him in perfect and unending joy. As Mike explains, We are invited to share divine life with God. Our destiny is not the grave, but eternal peace and joy in Heaven... [We] are destined for glory.

Moving on to Part II, the section on hope, I didnt really know what to expect. (If youll pardon a bad pun, I didnt know what to hope for.) When I had first realized that this wasnt just a book on mercy, but was split into two roughly equal parts on mercy and hope, I wondered why the two themes were included in one book. How was he going to tie it all together?

But, as it turned out, this was my favorite part of the book, and I cant emphasize enough how important I think hope is for our time. Theres so much more than simply knowing about this theological virtue or having some vague sense of hoping for heaven. Mike shows us that hope is a way to livewith happiness, meaning, and purpose to our liveseven in the midst of a world that seems lost in turmoil.

To me, the most wonderful and powerful thing Mike has done in this book is to show us the interconnectedness of mercy and hope. True hope is not just wishful thinking, not just a pipe dream, not just a sad, empty longing for something that we really dont expect will happen. Its the inner assurance that what we long for will actually be realized!

How do we get the type of hope that Mike talks about in Part II? By understanding and accepting the reality of mercy he tells us about in Part I. Without Gods mercy, we can have no hope. Real, life-changing hope comes when I can say, Yes, Jesus, I trust in You.

No matter what happens to me in the book of my life, trust in Gods mercy tells me that he can and will write the last chapter if I let him. If I trust that he really does love me in spite of my unworthiness, that he really has gone before me to prepare a place for me (cf. Jn 14:3), that he really can turn all things to good for those who love him (Rom 8:28), then I can live in the sure hope that he will fulfill for me the promise he gave his disciples: I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you (Jn 16:22).

Vinny Flynn
Founder of MercySong Ministries of Healing
Author of 7 Secrets of Divine Mercy
Stockbridge, MA

It is surprising to me that I felt called to write a book on mercy and hope. I have struggled to receive Gods mercy and to embrace the reality that God loves me in spite of my many sins. I have lacked hope, unable to readily accept the fact that God has prepared a place for me in Heaven and that he yearns for me to be with him despite my unworthiness. This book does not impart the pearls of spiritual wisdom of a great saint. Rather, it shares the insights of an ordinary Catholic who has struggled to accept Gods mercy and to live in hope.

I have always had faith in God. But this was not enough. I believed in Gods existence. I believed in the infallibility of the Bible. I believed in the teachings of the Church. Yet I still often felt empty, unworthy, and hopeless. I loved God and often felt his love. But even this was not enough. Those feelings of love came and went. When they left, I often felt ugly, unlovable, and hopeless. Then I was introduced to the message of Divine Mercy imparted to St. Faustina by Our Lord. This, coupled with my faith in and love for God, was finally enough.