{"id":395888,"date":"2026-04-13T07:49:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T07:49:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/395888\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T07:49:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T07:49:10","slug":"fr-paddy-how-the-latest-trip-to-the-moon-reminds-us-all-of-earths-greatest-mystery-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/395888\/","title":{"rendered":"Fr Paddy: How the latest trip to the moon reminds us all of Earth’s greatest mystery – love"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Going to bed on April 7th, for many, brought with it tension and worry as the threat of global war made us all feel very vulnerable.\n<\/p>\n

Thankfully time has been given to prioritize necessary negotiation and please God reconciliation.\n<\/p>\n

In the midst of all this bad news, a good news story, this Easter time, was the first space trip to the moon and the farthest that humanity has ever delved into orbit.\n<\/p>\n

I was taken by the inspirational spirituality shared publicly by these heroic astronauts.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

As the astronauts of NASA\u2019s first crewed lunar flyby in half a century reached their closest approach to the moon, the team\u2019s pilot reminded the Earth of Jesus Christ\u2019s command to love both God and neighbour.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we get close to the nearest point to the moon and farthest point from Earth, as we continue to unlock the mysteries of the cosmos, I would like to remind you of one of the most important mysteries there on Earth, and that\u2019s love,\u201d said astronaut Victor Glover, pilot of the Artemis II mission, speaking to ground control April 6 from aboard NASA\u2019s Orion spacecraft Integrity.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cChrist said, in response to what was the greatest command, that it was to love God with all you are,\u201d said Glover.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd he also, being a great teacher, said the second is equal to it. And that is to love your neighbour as yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Glover, sharing from the spacecraft Easter Sunday shared on April 5 to CBS News, said that \u201cas we go into Easter Sunday, thinking about all the cultures all around the world, whether you celebrate it or not, whether you believe in God or not, this is an opportunity for us to remember where we are, who we are, and that we are the same thing, and that we\u2019ve got to get through this together.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I read the Bible and I look at all of the amazing things that were done for us who were created \u2014 you have this amazing place, this spaceship,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cYou guys are talking to us because we\u2019re in a spaceship really far from Earth, but you\u2019re on a spaceship called Earth that was created to give us a place to live in the universe.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

He added, \u201cMaybe the distance we are from you makes you think what we\u2019re doing is special, but we\u2019re the same distance from you. And I\u2019m trying to tell you \u2014 just trust me \u2014 you are special.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

These days we are encouraged to celebrate the gift of Divine Mercy. Mercy is who God is. It is love\u2019s other name.\n<\/p>\n

Mercy is forgiveness. God is more interested in our future than in our past. He takes past sins seriously but never as the last word.\n<\/p>\n

God wants each of us to become the best person he wills us to be, and this requires conversion \u2014 a change of heart. Genuine mercy believes God\u2019s grace has the power to transform us.\n<\/p>\n

God does not owe us forgiveness. Nor does God\u2019s mercy license us to continue to sin \u2014 it demands a response to go and from now on sin no more (John 8:11).\n<\/p>\n

God\u2019s mercy motivates us to do better. God\u2019s forgiveness is an easy thing to obtain.\n<\/p>\n

One needs only to ask. God forgives \u2014 he opens his loving arms and grants mercy. He gives love away. We do not have to feel guilty over the reality of our human frailty.\n<\/p>\n

God is not going to sternly judge us. No, God is running down the road toward us, eager to wrap his arms around us and kiss it better.\n<\/p>\n

The enormity of God\u2019s love, which is so vast it is beyond measure or comprehension, creates in us an awareness of the depth of our inadequacy. But that awareness does not trigger feelings of unworthiness.\n<\/p>\n

Rather it creates a sense of poverty which allows us to trust fully in God and willingly accept his bountiful love.\n<\/p>\n

Perhaps that\u2019s why astronaut Glover, felt so close to God, in the midst of such a splendid universe.\n<\/p>\n

As he looked out of the space shuttle overwhelmed with the beauty and awe of creation, Glover, felt profoundly close to the mercy and love of our creator God.\n<\/p>\n

Forgiveness is one of the greatest gifts of the spiritual life. It enables us to be released from the sorrows of the past and reminds us to forgive others without hesitation, without question.\n<\/p>\n

Without question is hard to do, which only illustrates more clearly God\u2019s love. Forgiveness simply says that we will never put someone out of our heart.\n<\/p>\n

Jesus says, \u201cBe merciful, just as the Father is merciful.\u201d (Luke 6:36)\n<\/p>\n

Pope Leo\u2019s message for Divine Mercy Sunday, is a very practical invitation to embrace Gods powerful love for us all\u2026.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cJesus has this message for us: mercy. I think\u2014and I say it with humility \u2014 that this is the Lord\u2019s most powerful message:
mercy \u2026.\n<\/p>\n

It is not easy to entrust oneself to God\u2019s mercy, because it is an abyss beyond our comprehension. But we must! \u201cOh Father, if you knew my life, you would not say that to me!\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy, what have you done?\u201d \u201cOh, I am a great sinner!\u201d \u201cAll the better! Go to Jesus: he likes you to tell him these things!\u201d\n<\/p>\n

He forgets, he has a very special capacity for forgetting. He forgets, he kisses you, he embraces you and he simply says to you: \u201cNeither do I condemn you; go, and sin no more\u201d (John 8:11).\n<\/p>\n

That is the only advice he gives you. After a month, if you are in the same situation \u2026. Let us go back to the Lord. The Lord never tires of forgiving: never!\n<\/p>\n

It is we who tire of asking his forgiveness. Let us ask for the grace not to tire of asking forgiveness, because he never tires of forgiving. Let us ask for this grace\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself. Amen.\n<\/p>\n

SEE ALSO \u2013\u00a0Laois solicitor takes in more than \u20ac500,000 on Legal Aid system as 2025 figures revealed<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

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