Aug 06, 2017

 

Follower of Jesus (30)

Blessed are the merciful,

For they will be shown mercy. (3)

Matt. 5:7

This beatitude has an implied statement: unless we are merciful, we will not be shown mercy! That is not how Jesus thinks, for God is only mercy. Pope Francis has the name of his latest book “The Name of God is Mercy”, which states the importance of mercy well –the very name of God is mercy. However, if we are to feel the joys of mercy, or forgiveness, we must show mercy ourselves. Emotions are based on experience, and humans can only feel what they have experienced. That is, we practice mercy, and we can begin to understand mercy when it is given us. As the Our Father states, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”. This is a statement of our acceptance, for unless we forgive (show mercy) those who have injured ourselves in some way, we will not be able to understand and feel the forgiveness of God.

       Julian of Norwich, whom I quoted last time, has it right: sin is only in the effects that it has on us, it is not in itself a reality. But those effects can be devastating on us, and they will overwhelm us and turn us bitter and angry, unless we can feel the love of God in our lives, and the effects of sin has led to all the turmoil in the world, causing us to experience “hell” here and now. Adversity has two potential outcomes: we either turn bitter, blaming others, angry at others and God (hell), or we accept what has occurred, and grow by leaning in on God and letting God draw us onward (finding that kingdom of God that lies within). It is our choice, made anew each day of our life.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines mercy as follows:

1. a: compassion of forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one’s power; also: lenient or compassionate treatment

b: imprisonment rather than death imposed as a penalty for first-degree murder.

2. a: a blessing that is an act of divine favor or compassion – May God have mercy on us.

b: a fortunate circumstance – it was a mercy they found her before she froze.

3. Compassionate treatment of those in distress – works of mercy among the poor.

All of these are included in what Jesus was saying, but Jesus had a much bigger and broader understanding of that word mercy. The base root of what has been translated as ‘mercy’ means ‘still deep waters’, or more specifically the warmth and comfort of the womb. Thus to receive the ’mercy of God’ means that we are placed in the womb of God, or wrapped in the penetrating energy of Life that is the energy that we call God, inside and out, here and beyond, up and out, forward and back. Indeed, the name of God is Mercy.

We are called to bask in that womb of God, to live in the joy and spirit of mercy, and to exercise mercy as a fundamental part of our being, because that is who we are. If we are to be the very likeness of God, our first reaction to the boorishness of another is to send the love of God to them and to act as God would: forgiveness and love. Jesus put it when asked by Peter how many times shall he forgive another: “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven.” (Matt. 18:22). Jesus was saying that there is no limit on the number of times are to forgive. Indeed, we are to act as God would (we ARE the image and likeness of God) at the death of God’s Son: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” There is no limit, and there is no depth of horror and pain that we are not asked to forgive.

Now, forgiveness does not render the consequences moot. Consequences still happen, and the very pain of the consequences are meant to help the person understand what they did, so that they too may accept the mercy of God. But if we understand the power of forgiveness clearly, the extension of mercy to another, we would not hesitate to extend mercy, or forgiveness to another.

We will look at the infinite power of forgiveness and mercy next week.

Meditation

My Beloved Wisdom, I prostrate myself in gratitude for the gentle wash of the healing waters of forgiveness and mercy. I understand from my experience that to receive the joys of mercy and forgiveness of my shadow self I need to express my forgiveness and extend mercy to others. I am amazed at the mercy extended to me, for all my stubbornness and the pain I have caused others. I continue to ask for the grace to forgive all that have seemingly injured me, and to extend Your Love to all as I understand that they know not what they do, just as so often I do not understand what I do.