Mercy Sakes! - New Evangelizers

“Be merciful, just as your father is merciful.” – Luke 3:36

Mercy. We plead for it at every mass with the “Lord, have mercy” of the Kyrie. We often ask for God’s compassion and forgiveness in the form of His mercy. In our daily lives, we receive mercy from, and provide mercy to, the people we are close to.

But what about when it gets hard to give or ask for mercy? Have I been willing to be merciful, to be compassionate and forgiving, to those I don’t see eye to eye with? No, I too often hold a bias against those who are different and/or have different beliefs than I do. I find I am not as willing to be merciful in these situations as I’d hope to be. It is something I struggle to get better at.

Be merciful.

It is something Pope Francis has asked of his worldwide flock. Be merciful. Especially as we start the Pope’s Holy Year of Mercy on December 8, 2015.

“Mercy is what love looks like when it turns toward the sinner.” – Bishop Robert Barron

Who needs our mercy? Everyone. No questions asked. No matter how hard it is to do, be merciful. Compassion and forgiveness. God shows each of us mercy, so why should we allow His mercy stop at us and not flow through us? That’s what we are called to do—to be conduits of God’s mercy. Take our gifts and pass them on.

Be merciful, not judgemental.

Honestly, it is a struggle for me to be merciful and not judgemental. How about you? For help (as usual) I looked to the example Jesus set for us in the Gospel.

When Jesus was on the cross, did he condemn the criminals who were crucified alongside him? No. What did he do? Compassion and forgiveness. Mercy. Put me in that situation and I’m probably running off a long list of colorful four-letter choice words at the prisoner who mocked me.

Jesus didn’t do that. He didn’t judge. He didn’t tell his mocker he’d burn in hell or call down an army of angels to personally escort him to hell the hard way. In his darkest hour, in pain and dying a horrible death, he was merciful. Wow! What an example for each of us on how we should operate.

It is not our duty to judge our fellow sinners on this planet. It is our job to live with them and show by our actions and mercy the shining light of our faith. It is our job to keep the doors of the church open and available to welcome our fellow sinners as we together ask for God’s mercy and forgiveness.

As Pope Francis said, “No one can be excluded from the mercy of God.”

Be merciful. Follow the example of our Holy Father as we enter the Holy Year of Mercy. Smile. Be positive. Shine the light of your faith and your mercy for all to see. Help fix the broken parts of our world. Use the gift of mercy to make the world a better place.

Please pray for me as I work to lead a more merciful life. I’ll be praying for you!

 

Mike Hays

Mike Hays is a husband, a father of three, a lifelong Kansan and works as a molecular microbiologist. Besides writing, he has been a high school strength and conditioning coach, a football coach and a baseball coach. His debut middle grade historical fiction novel, THE YOUNGER DAYS, is a 2012 recipient of The Catholic Writer's Guild Seal of Approval Award. You can find it at the publisher's website or on Amazon.