As we continue our
look at the Beatitudes in this, the Year of Faith, let us take a good look at
what it means to truly be merciful. It is more than giving alms to the poor.
Scripture for
meditation: Matthew 5:7
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Scripture for
reflection: Luke 15:32
"It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this
your brother was dead and is alive; he was lost and is found."
The Catechism of
the Catholic Church teaches us: 2447: The works of mercy are charitable
actions by which we come to the aid
of our neighbor in his spiritual and bodily necessities. Instructing, advising,
consoling, comforting are spiritual works of mercy, as are forgiving and
bearing wrongs patiently. The corporal works of mercy consist especially in
feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the
sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead.
Pope John Paul II
tells us: What took place in the
relationship between the father and the son in Christ's parable is not to be
evaluated "from the outside." Our prejudices about mercy are mostly
the result of appraising them only from the outside. At times it happens that
by following this method of evaluation we see in mercy above all a relationship
of inequality between the one offering it and the one receiving it. And, in
consequence, we are quick to deduce that mercy belittles the receiver, that it
offends the dignity of man. The parable of the prodigal son shows that the
reality is different: the relationship of mercy is based on the common
experience of that good which is man, on the common experience of the dignity
that is proper to him. This common experience makes the prodigal son begin to see
himself and his actions in their full truth (this vision in truth is a genuine
form of humility); on the other hand, for this very reason he becomes a
particular good for his father: the father sees so clearly the good which has
been achieved thanks to a mysterious radiation of truth and love, that he seems
to forget all the evil which the son had committed. The parable of the prodigal
son expresses in a simple but profound way the reality of conversion.
Conversion is the most concrete expression of the working of love and of the
presence of mercy in the human world. The true and proper meaning of mercy does
not consist only in looking, however penetratingly and compassionately, at
moral, physical or material evil: mercy is manifested in its true and proper
aspect when it restores to value, promotes and draws good from all the forms of
evil existing in the world and in man. Understood in this way, mercy
constitutes the fundamental content of the messianic message of Christ and the
constitutive power of His mission. His disciples and followers understood and
practiced mercy in the same way. Mercy never ceased to reveal itself, in their
hearts and in their actions, as an especially creative proof of the love which
does not allow itself to be "conquered by evil," but overcomes
"evil with good." The genuine face of mercy has to be ever revealed
anew. In spite of many prejudices, mercy seems particularly necessary for our
times. (Encyclical Letter: Dives in Misericordia - On the Mercy of God)
My thoughts: We don’t always get what we want, on any level
in our lives. Our friends disappoint us, our family members disappoint us, and
even our own country can disappoint us. Blessed John Paul II tells us that we
must take our feelings of anger and hurt and instead of giving into them,
lifting them to a higher level of love which will cause us to exhibit the true
and proper meaning of mercy: that which restores to value, promotes and draws
good from all the forms of evil existing in the world and in man. Blessed John
Paul refers to the parable of the prodigal son, where the father is able to see
that his mercy for his son leads his son to true conversion. That is the goal
of our lives, isn't it: to bring as many people to God as possible? We can’t do
this if our behavior simply judges and evaluates people, and finds them
deficient. We must be merciful, even if that means that, in the midst of our
hurt and upset, the best we can do is pray for the person who has so upset us.
As Blessed John Paul II points out, the person giving mercy receives mercy as
well. It is good to know that the more merciful we become, the holier we
become. We must also remember that we too will commit grave errors in our lives
and will need to be forgiven by others as well as by God. Let us never forget
that receiving the mercy of a fellow human being keeps us humble, and holy, and
receiving the mercy of God will give us eternal life. Mercy, for all of us, is
a two way street. As Shakespeare tells us, “It blesses him who gives, and him
who receives.”
(The Merchant of Venice).
PRAYER TO BE
MERCIFUL
Written by St. Maria
Faustina
"O Lord. I want to be completely transformed into Your mercy and to be
Your living reflection. May the greatest of all divine attributes, that of Your
unfathomable mercy, pass through my heart and soul to my neighbor.
Help me, O Lord,
that my eyes may be merciful, so that I may never suspect or judge from
appearances, but look for what is beautiful in my neighbors’ souls and come to
their rescue.
Help me, O Lord, that my ears may be merciful, so that I may give heed to my
neighbors’ needs and not be indifferent to their pains and moaning.
Help me, O Lord, that my tongue may be merciful, so that I should never speak
negatively of my neighbor, but have a word of comfort and forgiveness for all.
Help me, O Lord, that my hands may be merciful and filled with good deeds, so
that I may do only good to my neighbors and take upon myself the more difficult
and toilsome tasks.
Help me, O Lord, that my feet may be merciful, so that I may hurry to assist my
neighbor, overcoming my own fatigue and weariness
Help me, O Lord, that my heart may be merciful so that I myself may feel all
the sufferings of my neighbor.
May Your mercy,
O Lord, rest upon me" (Diary # 163).
