Especially Those Most in Need of My Mercy - New Evangelizers

 

When I was young, I loved books on animals, especially wolves.  One fascinating fact about wolves is that they, in their animal way, understand mercy. When a pack member assumes a passive submissive posture, when it exposes its vulnerable belly and throat to the pack, no member of the pack may attack this wolf, not even a pup. He asks for mercy, and he gets it.

You may say, “That’s a silly example. Animals act on instinct. They aren’t able to discern moral right from wrong.”  And you would be right. God created human beings in His image, and He gave us wonderfully complex minds capable of thought and reason, which makes it more disturbing that the “dumb animals” get mercy right, while we often get it wrong.

In Matthew 9:13, Jesus tells us, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”  Jesus pours out His mercy on us, but he also desires mercy from us, and he is especially interested in sinners. If we want to carry out His mission and proclaim the Good News, we had better be interested in them, too.

I admit that this is difficult to put into action. Too often, our vision of mercy is one of us towering in a posture of judgment over the crouching sinner who begs our forgiveness for offenses committed against us, which we then graciously grant. Even worse, we hold back mercy from those people we think haven’t repented enough by our standards. We turn our faces away from those who have committed heinous crimes, having determined that they are unworthy of our mercy.  This is a huge mistake.

For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment. James 2:13.

I, for one, do not want to incur merciless judgment, but how many times during the day do I look on people with judgment instead of mercy? The woman with her derrière hanging out of her mini-skirt is either a fool or a whore. The politician who promotes birth control for children is intentionally working for evil and will burn in Hell. That’s my merciless judgment in action.

St. Paul is a great example of how God’s mercy extends to those who commit evil. As Saul of Tsarsis, Paul hunted down, persecuted, and even murdered God’s children. When Jesus confronted him on the road to Damascus, He said, “Why are you persecuting Me?” Anything we do to another member of Christ’s body, we do to Him.

The disciple Ananias, when asked to pray over Paul to heal his blindness, questioned God. Isn’t this the guy who’s been persecuting your people? In other words, He’s not one of us and is therefore not worthy of Your mercy. God responded that He had a plan for Paul. If He had a plan for the man who drove fear into the hearts of Christians, couldn’t He have a plan for the guy who performs abortions? Or the politician that promotes them? And if any response begins, “But in my opinion,” well, God told Job how much his opinion counted, and Job was a just man.  Why would I think I, who hold no such claim, have more sway?

One of the greatest examples of human mercy I know of come through the work of Opus Bono Sacerdotii, an organization dedicated to helping priests. They offer financial assistance to retired priests who can’t afford food and electricity.  Most of us would agree those men deserve mercy, but how about priests who have been falsely accused of sexual misconduct? Insurance companies often control dioceses’ response to allegations, trying to force priests to settle, because it’s cheaper. As a result, priests can find themselves falsely accused, ostracized, and even laicized, without any way to fight back. Do we immediately think, “Where there is smoke, there must be fire?”Opus Bono helps them.  Is the subject of mercy getting uncomfortable?  There’s more.

What about those priests who were found guilty of sexual abuse and are now serving time in prison?  It’s not surprising that these men have been abandoned by society, their friends, and even the Church. That’s the human response, but God is calling us to be more than human. Opus Bono members visit them in prison, because they are still God’s children, and His mercy is for everyone.

Mercy doesn’t mean a free pass from punishment. Mercy doesn’t mean we endorse the crime. Mercy comes from how we treat that person even though they have sinned – with respect and love. We don’t join in the rants and promote the gossip. We don’t speak harshly; we speak truth with love. We have mercy.

On July 13, 1917, Our Lady of Fatima revealed the Fatima Prayer to three child visionaries, and we would do well to consider these words carefully.

Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of thy mercy. (Emphases added by me.)

And if pride settles in and we start to believe that we are better than most – dispensers of mercy who aren’t in need of it ourselves – it’s good to remember that Jesus had to suffer and die on the cross because of our sins – yours and mine. Who needs mercy more than those responsible for the death of God?

 

 

Jacqueline Vick

Jacqueline Vick is a devout Catholic, wife to a wonderful guy, pet parent to a troubled mutt, and mystery writer. Her website is www.jacquelinevick.com.