CBB Review – I Saw His Face: Powerful Moments of Christ’s Mercy

In this Year of Mercy there are undoubtedly going to be a number of books released on the topic of mercy. One such book is I Saw His Face: Powerful Moments of Christ’s Mercy by Father Michael T. Mitchell, LC. His book serves as a faithful witness to actual works of mercy happening in today’s world.

The book has at its central core the personal experiences Father had with missionary work in Mexico and Haiti. Faced with people in need of God’s mercy we can each be the tool God uses to implement that mercy. This is an important thing to understand. Being merciful may seem a daunting task but all one really needs to do is open themselves up to allow God to work through them.

In addition to his own experiences Father draws heavily from Scripture to illustrate yet another point about mercy. We need but one example to learn how to be merciful and that is the actions of Jesus Christ. The book is divided into three parts. Part One: Who Is Christ? gives examples of how Christ interacted with people in the Gospels. The woman caught in adultery, St. John on the island of Patmos, and the disciples on the road to Emmaus are but a few examples. Part Two: The Gentle Ways of Christ shows Christ’s loving interactions with Martha and Mary, the hemorrhaging woman, Jarius whose daughter died, and his calling of the children to him. Part Three: Christ In Your Life tells readers how even 2000 years later Christ still plays an integral part in our lives today.

Christ desires each of us to answer his call to a lifelong friendship with him. He desires we serve Him in love. The fact is at times we fall….but we can trust in Christ’s mercy. “Christ will always renew that call to his chosen ones. A priest who in weakness falls into sin can be restored by God’s grace. A failing marriage can be healed by Christ’s love. A consecrated woman who lets he heart wander will be strengthened in her vocation by one look at Christ. Our Lord is full of forgiveness and understanding and mercy.”

It is clear that we have a choice to make. We can walk through life in a bubble concerned only for our own lot in life. The pother option is to reach out to those around us an offer the mercy that Jesus Christ had shown us through example in Scripture. We are meant for more than selfish endeavors. We have a merciful God who gave His Son in sacrifice for our sins. Father Michael T. Mitchell has provided readers with a book full of examples of real world situations where this mercy has been provided. Take it, read it, let it move you to do great things for the glory of God.

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I received a copy of this from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Visit Catholic Word to purchase your own copy of I Saw His Face.