Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful (Luke 6:36)
In the Gospel, there are many commandments that Jesus addresses to his disciples: "Do not judge," "Do not condemn," "Give," "Love your enemies," "Pray," "Do not curse one another," and so on. However, one command stands out because it does not concern what we are to do or how we are to do it, but rather what we are to be: "Be merciful" (Lk 6:36). In another version, this is articulated as "Be perfect" (Mt 5:48). The call to be merciful clearly recalls another command from the Old Testament regarding our being, namely: "Be holy" (Lev 11:44). It appears that Jesus does not wish to separate them. The command of the New Covenant serves as an exegesis of the Old Testament. Holiness becomes tangible; it means being merciful, as this is what God desires from us: "I desire mercy" (Mt 12:7), "I desire love rather than sacrifice" (Hos 6:6). The precepts also have a specific prototype: in both instances, it is the Father: "Be holy, as I am holy" (Lev 11:44), "Be merciful, as your Father is merciful" (Lk 6:36).
Protagonist of the process
The words of the Gospel are not optional. To be disciples of Jesus, we must accept them all as they are. However, a spontaneous question arises: Is it too much to prescribe a certain being and demand that it be the same as it is with the Father? Who among us can claim to be like the Father? Yet, Jesus requires it. It's worth noting that in the original Greek, the word for being expresses the process of becoming (γίνεσθε). Literally, the commandment would be: "Become merciful" (Lk 6:26). This recalls the first pages of the Old Testament, the Book of Genesis, and the account of creation. God created, and things became. God breathed into man's nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being made in the image of God (cf. Gen 2:7).
Thus, the becoming of man is the work of God, not of man. This concrete act of becoming merciful, commanded by Jesus, does not fall within the realm of human powers. He surpasses them. Why, then, is it commanded if man is incapable of achieving it? The answer is found in another passage in Matthew: "Let it be done to you according to your faith" (Mt 8:3), or "Let it be done to you as you have believed" (cf. Mt 8:13). Man cannot attain it, but he will receive it if he believes in God. St. Teresa of the Child Jesus, in her Act of Consecration to Merciful Love, addressed Jesus with these words: "I am sure, therefore, that You will fulfill my desires, O my God, that the more You intend to give, the more You make me desire" (Act of Consecration to Merciful Love).
Poor resources
Desire and trust in God are poor means, yet they are necessary. Other methods used by man can assist, but they do not enable us to fulfill Jesus' command to be merciful. It is about a complete transformation of the individual, not just performing acts of mercy. Such actions can be taken, but they do not make us merciful; it is the Father who does that. If anyone believes he can make himself holy, good, or merciful, he misjudges the Pharisees. They were among those who could boast about long lists of pious deeds, yet they were not truly pious. That is why Jesus told them, "I never knew you" (Mt 7:23). The effort required of someone who hears Jesus' message about mercy does not involve grandiose works. Rather, it involves humility, accepting God's influence like a child, which is often much more challenging.
It is more difficult because it requires trust and the acknowledgment of one's own limitations. It requires faith in the One whom I do not know, who is different from me, and whose thoughts do not necessarily align with mine. When Mary said, "Let it be done to me according to your word" (Lk 1:38), she became the mother of God. She would not be so without this trust, nor would she be even if she made any human effort. It became what it was not because of her own actions but due to God's work. Therefore, we need to become humble and like children. A child, in fact, do not take credit for themselves; they know that all the good they have come from the kindness of a loving Father. St. Therese of the Child Jesus expressed it beautifully: "To be little is not to ascribe to oneself the virtues that one fulfills, nor to think that one is capable of anything, but to recognize that God gives His little child a treasure of virtues in their hands to use in times of need; but it is always the treasure of the Good God" (St. Therese of the Child Jesus, Counsels, and Memoirs). To be little is to recognize that we do not make ourselves merciful but that the Father makes us merciful.
God, "with the power working in us, can do infinitely more than we ask or understand," wrote St. Paul (Eph 3:20). And certainly, He can accomplish much more than we can do ourselves. Being merciful, as the Father is, is possible because this potential is inherent in the command itself. If it were not possible to be merciful like the Father, there would be no commandment. And since there is a commandment, there is also a possibility. This commandment then opens up a broad horizon for every disciple of Jesus: everyone can be like the Father. This commandment is given to us, the living, and therefore it can be fulfilled here, in this pilgrimage. For those who do not become like the Father on earth, this will be realized in His house because we will become like Him when "we see Him as He is" (1 Jn 3:2) – St. John the Evangelist assures us of this. Therefore, the entire effort we are to undertake consists of the effort of faith and trust, accompanied by concrete attitudes. Believing in Jesus is not as simple as just believing in Him, nor is it merely a human effort.
To believe in Him is to acknowledge His presence, His actions, and His teachings, and to truly believe in Him truly requires trust. It is much easier to say without commitment: God, I believe in You. However, it is far more challenging to live with trust and to declare responsibly: Jesus, I believe in You; I trust in You. Trust involves letting go of self-sufficiency, surrendering to the Other, and confronting the truth of our own poverty. Trust is not simply an external acceptance of conditions; rather, it is recognizing them as our own and accepting them as signposts. This is much more challenging and requires a greater effort to overcome oneself. If you must lose your life (cf. Lk 9:24), then indeed, you must let it go. Trusting the Other means relinquishing your own sufficiency, independence, comfort, and will. This is our calling, and it is what we must nurture despite the weaknesses we all bear. Trust is certainly not passive; those who trust another will act on what the other says and will obey. Conversely, a lack of trust leads to stagnation or acting independently without commitment.
But we must also ask: what does mercy mean?
We will continue tomorrow
fr. george