Here are two things Jesus never says to us:
First, Jesus never says, I’ll wait until your faith is perfect before loving you.
Consider the distraught father in Mark 9:17-29, who brings his son to be healed. The boy has been having convulsions, even falling into the fire. The disciples of Jesus have not been able to heal him, and when Jesus himself arrives, the father pleads,
“If you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us.”
“If you are able!” Jesus says. “All things can be done for the one who believes.”
Then we hear the father cry out, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
And Jesus heals the boy.
The father didn’t pretend that his faith was any greater than it was; and Jesus didn’t require perfect faith of him.
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (153), “Faith is a gift of God, a supernatural virtue infused by him.” In other words, faith is not something that we can give ourselves. However, it is our responsibility to nurture it. Even when we are plagued with doubt, we can still walk in faith and nourish faith, for faith and doubt are not mutually exclusive.
Second, Jesus never ever says, I will wait until you no longer need forgiveness before forgiving you.
In truth, what makes us qualified for forgiveness is being sinners. We are forgiven precisely because we are unworthy, not because we have been able to make ourselves perfect.
“Is your being thirsty a hindrance to your getting water?” asks Horatius Bonar (1808-1889)? Of course not. Indeed, Bonar titles his essay, “How Shall I Go to God?” – and answers the question in the first paragraph. “It is with our sins that we go to God, for we have nothing else to go with that we can call our own. This is one of the lessons that we are so slow to learn…
After all, “I have come to call not the righteous but sinners,” says Jesus (Matthew 9:13 ).
Mercy surrounds us at every moment of our lives. Amazing grace, without any doubt!
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”(Lamentations 3:22-24)