What is Mercy?

Witnessing Growth by Fr. Josias Dias da Costa Relief in Reconciliation by Br. Nicholas Rich

The Latin word misericordia = mercy, is the result of blending the words miseratio = compassion and cordis = heart. For its part compassion is also the result of linking cum = with, and patire = suffer. Mercy is letting one’s own heart be touched by the suffering of another; it is feeling what the other is feeling, it is sharing in the sorrow of another. Mercy isn’t a passive sentiment; it is neither pity nor a feeling of pain, but it is the concrete expression of the love of God for us and the concrete realization of love within us for our neighbor. Pope John Paul II emphasized that we not only receive and experience the mercy of God, but that we are also called to be merciful to each other. It is by being merciful like the Father that our hearts are transformed. Pope Francis recently said, “In short, the mercy of God is not an abstract idea, but a concrete reality with which he reveals his love as of that of a father or a mother, moved to the very depths out of love for their child. It is hardly an exaggeration to say that this is a ‘visceral’ love... Jesus affirms that mercy is not only an action of the Father; it becomes a criterion for ascertaining who his true children are.” Pope Francis says that mercy is the very foundation of the Church’s life to be lived and to be given like an inexhaustible desire; to be announced and be witnessed to with urgency; to be called upon “in this difficult but crucially important phase of the history of the Church and the world;” to be announced as the “beating heart of the Gospel;” to be shouted out “by words and deeds”; to be welcomed like “an oasis” (§12); and finally to be celebrated and experienced. If we can put it this way, it is the “concretizing” in our practical life of God’s love, which by touching our hearts and inflaming our compassion, makes us leave behind our indifference and moves us forward on behalf of those who suffer and who are despised. I was raised in a Protestant home, converting to the Catholic faith with my family as a sophomore in high school. Since then, I have always associated mercy with reconciliation. It doesn’t take a whole lot of imagination to come up with a list of things a sophomore in high school might confess, so needless to say I was pretty relieved when it was over. This relief (you might call it peace) is what I think of when I think about mercy. Mercy, while it is a grace, God’s unmerited gift to us, also requires our repentance. The doctor can only heal the wound when the patient reveals it. God always heals if we are penitent and allow Him to enter our hearts. That peace I experienced after my first confession, however much of a relief it may have been, was nonetheless God’s consolation for me. Today, when I hear the priest’s words at the end of absolution, “Christ has forgiven you, go in peace,” I truly experience a peace in the knowledge that I am living right with God. Mercy comes from God, but is bestowed upon us with the expectation that we share it. Think of the man who was forgiven his debts but, in turn, went and persecuted the man who was in debt to him. Hopefully we are not that man on Judgment Day. I thank my parents for teaching me the importance of both giving and receiving forgiveness; I think it is probably the greatest skill they taught me. I thank God, too, for opportunities to seek forgiveness from others. How awesome an experience when we truly humble ourselves before another person! It is in this humility that the paradox of Christianity comes into full effect. We are not strong when we cling to our pride and refuse to admit our wrongdoings. Christ’s strength is perfected in us when we are weak and vulnerable. In this Year of Mercy, may we allow Christ’s strength to be enough for us.

And finally, never lose hope in God’s mercy.

rule of st. beneedict 3:74

In Another Man’s Shoes by Br. Karel Soukup Mercy is a Virtue by Abbot Barnabas Senecal

St. Thomas Aquinas says that “a man is said to be merciful, when he has, so to speak, a sorrowful heart, being affected with sorrow at the misery of another as though it were his own. Thus it follows that he works to dispel the misery of the other, as if it were his own; and this is the effect of mercy.” Mercy is what happens when we stand in another man’s shoes and feel his pain, just as Christ did during His life here on earth. The great mystery of sin and forgiveness lies in the fact that sin is always the result of some underlying woundedness from which the sinner acts and needs to be healed. The merciful redemption worked by Christ flows from His incarnation, His taking on all the weaknesses of human existence which lead to sin, while yet remaining sinless Himself. He felt the abandonment which leads us to try to control others; He knew the poverty which seeks comfort in material possessions; He experienced the dishonor which soothes itself with power. But Jesus Christ forsook those false masks which the self puts on to cover its wounds and shame, and was able to forgive the sins of others because He pierced the veiled sanctuary of the human heart and saw the hidden scars and sadness which give birth to sin. We fail at mercy when we are too wrapped up in our own selves. Our world is too small, and our sight too narrow. To be merciful, we must participate in Christ’s incarnation, laying aside our security and our pride so to touch the vulnerability of others. When we incarnate ourselves into the lives of others, we are enabled to show mercy. When we have known hunger, then we can feed the hungry. When we have been without shelter, then we can shelter the homeless. When we recognize our ignorance, then we can instruct. When we know our own sinfulness, then we can forgive. Mercy makes us love both because of, and in spite of, who others are. Mercy heals; mercy makes us whole. Mercy is a virtue of the truly grown-up person, one who is able to put things in to perspective. God is merciful because God is such a Person. God understands the need for justice and order. He wants to remain with us, as a leader, a prompter, a guide. And when we model our lives on Him, we sustain relationships with one another. As St. Benedict reflected, we should all be careful not to break the bruised reed, but to extend assistance to the needy. Mercy is a choice and in the good hearted, it is a way to deal with a concern. It is not silence, nor is it argument. It has as its goal the effort to move things in the right direction, toward a benefit for all parties concerned. Mercy accepts the challenge to draw the other into acceptance and into forgiveness. Mercy helps the individual to retain good memories, and to be appreciative of the kindness of the other, in the past, and as it is anticipated in the present moment and in the future. When we have a “storehouse of mercies received and given,” we have a starting point for living mercifully. As we reflect on the Scriptures, and as we celebrate the Liturgy with other believers, we know the story of Mercy, in the longsustained hope of the Jewish people that a Savior would come into their lives. This Creator God would even take on our human nature, to show the extent to which He would have mercy. Mercy acknowledges dependence but not domination. Mercy has a goal of accomplishing growth and maturity. Mercy is mindful of justice and stands by the truth. Mercy does not excuse but seeks to share awareness, understanding and resolve. “I deeply respect individuals who have shown me mercy.” If one can say this, one begins to be merciful, also. “The world is full of nice people. If you can’t find one, be one.”