God, in His very being, is Mercy

You see, my friend spent most of his teenage years in prison for murder.  Once he was released he lived a less than holy life focused on himself alone.  Only recently did he experience the healing power of God.  He not only experienced forgiveness from God for his taking of a life, he was able to receive forgiveness and closure from the family.  In fact, God had worked so powerfully in his life that he dedicated his life to helping minister to those in prison and those imprisoned by addiction.

I didn’t speak to my friend in a condemning way nor judge him but rather I asked the question simply, as if I were pleading with him to think of what he was saying.  Both of us instantly thought of today’s Gospel.

God is Mercy.  From the very beginning, moments after the fall of our first parents, God has been extending His hand to us in mercy.  His mercy didn’t stop at the Crucifixion and it continues to this very moment.  God, in His very being, is Mercy.  He cannot help Himself, that is who He is and it is what He wants for us.

We, on the other hand, need practice.  For us, mercy is a habit.  It is something we must work on.  However, if we keep today’s Gospel in mind, it will certainly help us to be more merciful.  God has forgiven a debt we could never repay.  What then is there in our life that we can not forgive?  The answer should be – nothing.  If God can forgive our sins, and often ones we tend to repeat far more than 77 times, how can we even consider withholding mercy from others?  As St. John Chrysologus says in reference to mercy, “You will not be allowed to keep what you have refused to give to others.“

Many may say, “but how is now a time of mercy?”  Yes, today, things are more difficult than they ever have been for most of us.  The economy is not where we want it to be. The threat of World War III is a very real possibility. Many dioceses are closing parishes and scandal prowls about looking for souls to devour.  The desert of Lent has become more bleak than we could have ever imagined.

Yet this too may also been seen as a time of mercy, a time to repent, a time to rend our hearts and not our garments.  God is allowing us the opportunity to once more think of Him and turn our hearts to Him.  Let’s do that, let’s cry out to the Lord for mercy.  

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