Free Mercy

Believing or not believing in God brings about profound differences in a person’s attitudes, but not in the value that person has to God himself. All human beings are valuable to God—so valuable that he gave his only begotten Son to open the way for all of them to a right relationship with him.

The experience we Christians call “salvation,” “conversion,” or “new birth” is not denied by God to anyone, nor does he look down on anyone because of their way of life or former beliefs. When a person decides to seek God and follow him, he shows his infinite mercy.

The Spirit of God raises no objections to entering a human heart because of that person’s former life, social standing, political affiliation, or previous beliefs. The prophet Ezekiel puts these words in God’s mouth: I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove from among you a heart of stone (Ezekiel 36:26). The expression a heart of stone refers to a person who, until now, has been reluctant to seek and obey God. To such people he can give a new heart and a new spirit, which means, among other things, a new way of seeing and feeling their need for God. The prophet Isaiah, in turn, tells us: All who are thirsty, come to the waters; those who have no money, come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and at no cost. Why do you spend money on what is not bread, and your wages on what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in abundance. Incline your ear and come to me; listen, and your soul will live. And I will make an everlasting covenant with you, according to the faithful mercies shown to David. (Isaiah 55:1–3)

We might ask ourselves: How is it possible to buy without money? Nowadays, you can buy without physical money by using bank checks or debit or credit cards. Many people buy things using those methods because, somehow, they feel they are not spending money. That is a fallacy, because by using them they spend, in fact, more money.

When Isaiah speaks of buying without money and without price, he is teaching that to find God, there is only one thing we must do: seek him. He is available and will not reproach us for absolutely anything, not even for having paid him no attention before. Unlike human beings—who, when we abandon them for something else or fail to do what they expected, give us a good scolding before relations return to normal—God simply opens his arms and embraces us. He is merciful and forgiving.

But the passage from Isaiah teaches us something more: we spend money on things that, in the end, only meet temporary needs and solve temporary problems, so they do not satisfy us completely. Our relationship with God, however, can delight our soul and satisfy our deepest longings. And all of that at no cost!

God bless you!