What do you seek?
In St. John’s Gospel, the Apostle writes that two disciples were following Jesus and he asked them what they wanted from him. Jesus said, “What do you seek?” and they replied that they wanted to follow him, and he replied, “Come and see”.

God’s Mercy and yours
When Dominicans are received into the Order and make Profession, the first question they are asked is, ‘What do you Seek?’ and their reply is, ‘God’s Mercy and yours’. The first thing in a Dominican’s life is mercy. Mercy is at the heart of and the foundation of the life of the Order and for every Dominican, mercy is the way forward and it shows the way. The Order wants to be assured that someone entering the Dominicans believes in God’s mercy. That is the first requirement of a Dominican.

Preachers of Truth
Dominicans have the letters “O.P” after their name, which means, “Order of Preachers”. St Dominic founded the Dominican Order to be an order of preachers; preaching was to be central in Dominican life. Every Dominican is a preacher. Dominicans are called to be preachers of truth; the truth about God and life. For their preaching to be effective, Dominicans search for the truth, God’s mercy leads us to the truth. Mercy opens us up to see and understand the message and teaching of Jesus and experience the love of God. Mercy removes the things that can block us from connecting with God, namely sin. Mercy helps Dominicans understand God and shows them how to reach out to people in their preaching and in their ministry.

Mercy reveals the Truth
We place our lives at the mercy of God. We allow God’s mercy to touch us, form us, lead and guide us. We depend on God’s mercy. Mercy is what enables us to see the love of God and how we can be transformed by it. Mercy helps us to understand God’s love and how that love is with us and how that love can be reflected through us when we show mercy. The God we believe in is a God of Mercy. That message of the mercy of God is central to what Dominicans preach. Mercy helps us to communicate with people.

See beyond the Barriers between you and Christ
Mercy is a fundamental part of the Christian life. Through mercy we are able to see the love of Christ. Mercy helps us to see the way forward. It helps us to see the teaching of Christ in a clear way and to become aware of the truth. Because mercy leads us to the truth, it helps us to see beyond the barriers that come between us and the love of Christ and the truth. Christ reveals the mercy of God and we allow Christ to manifest himself through us when we are merciful, then we become exposed to the truth of Christ.

Mercy changes us and forms us
Those who are devoted to the Divine Mercy reflect on the mercy of God and the role of mercy in their life. We come to see what mercy does to us. Mercy changes us and forms us. It helps us to look at others in a different way where there is forgiveness, tolerance and compassion. It helps us to see the mercy of God coming to us through them. Before God we are nothing; it is only through God’s mercy that we are who we are and have what we have. The ‘Truth’ that Dominicans are called to preach can only happen with God’s mercy. Dominicans rely on God’s mercy in their Dominican lives and work. It is only through God’s mercy that truth can be recognised and preached and accepted. All success comes through God’s Divine Mercy.

God is never self-seeking
Dominican teaching and preaching always acknowledges the importance of God’s mercy. One great Dominican and theologian was St. Thomas Aquinas and he often spoke about the mercy of God and how we need that mercy to live our lives. He saw mercy as the greatest attribute of God. He also wrote about the infinite mercy of God. He proposed that, “God is never self-seeking, but acts only and always with selfless generosity, pouring out good gifts out of His abundance on His creatures. Showing mercy is therefore proper to God in a special way, for it manifests His infinite perfection and His infinite abundance and generosity”.

God’s Mercy is Excessive
For St. Thomas, God’s mercy is in excess and above what we need. God’s mercy is bestowed on us in abundance. “God acts mercifully...but by doing something more than justice; thus a man who pays another two hundred pieces of money, though owing him only one hundred, does nothing against justice, but acts liberally and mercifully. The case is the same with one who pardons an offence committed against him, for in remitting it he may be said to bestow a gift”. St. Thomas believed that the face of Jesus can be seen in people who are suffering or in need. God’s mercy can touch them through us. We can be the agents of God’s mercy.

As a Dominican I remind myself every day what I asked for when I joined the Dominicans: ‘God’s Mercy and yours’. St. Faustina encouraged the people to pray every day for God’s mercy, but more importantly, Jesus asked us to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy every day. It is the one thing we all seek. Through God’s mercy we will be saved.