What does mercy mean?

Unrequited love

But we must also ask: what does mercy mean? If we are to be merciful, what does that signify? Jesus chooses mercy as the command to embody. He does not choose chastity, poverty, obedience, or any other value. Why does He select this? What does this mercy merit? We know that mercy is a form of love. It is love that embraces those who cannot reciprocate. This dependence transforms love for those who cannot return it into mercy. We find many examples of such love in the Gospel: the prodigal son, the sinner, the blind man at Jericho, the thief on the cross, and so on. At the moment they experienced this love, they could not reciprocate it. Mercy can only be accepted or rejected by the one who gives it. If mercy were reciprocated, it would no longer be considered mercy but rather love: spousal love, friendship…

Therefore, mercy is a type of love that, in a certain sense, has the greatest impact on our misery and poverty, embracing them. Perhaps for this reason, there was no mercy for those who were self-assured, like the Pharisees. There was none because they refused to accept Him; they did not want to acknowledge their poverty and weakness. Mercy, then, is a type of love that can be described as gratuitous; it is a gift of love. And this brings a lot of light. We touch upon the very mystery of God. Selflessness is likely what we first associate with the love of God. We believe that He loves each of us not for something but simply for who we are. Sin, misery, and mistakes do not change His love for us. And this is God's mercy: God loved us "while we were yet sinners" (cf. Rom 5:8), unable to respond to His love.

Therefore, we must become merciful. Jesus calls us to love with a unique quality that is free and directed toward those who cannot respond. This perspective helps us better understand the entire list of commandments preceding the one we are examining together: "Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you, and pray for those who slander you . . . But love your enemies, do good, and lend without expecting anything in return" (Lk 6:27-35). Jesus concludes this extensive list of actions with one command that encapsulates it all: "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful" (Lk 6:36).

The Taste of Christians in the Midst of the World

Christians are called to be the salt of the world and its light (cf. Mt 5:13-14). Just as salt without its taste is worthless, Jesus' disciples would be without mercy. And just as salt inherently has its flavor, Christians are to embody mercy, not just perform acts of it. Mercy must define them, as this is what Jesus desired: to love one another, "as I have loved you; so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (Jn 13:34-35). If this concrete love we call mercy were to be extinguished, then Jesus' words would truly come to pass: "Depart from me, I never knew you" (Mt 7:23). If the command involves being like the Father, then it speaks to the identity shared by all disciples and the Father. It is not surprising, then, that this love is precisely what Jesus links to the vision of God and His presence in His kingdom, calling Himself the recipient of this love: "For I was hungry, and you gave me food, I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you welcomed me; I was naked, and you clothed me; I was sick, and you visited me; I was in prison, and you came to me (...). Whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me" (Mt 25:35-36, 40).

Jesus has tangible faces of sisters and brothers with whom we share our lives. Thus, acts of mercy, born from a heart transformed by God's action, will be very tangible, directed toward people with concrete faces. Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta beautifully expressed this in one of her prayers: 'Jesus is Hungry to be filled; He is Thirsty to be given drink. Jesus is Naked to be clothed; He is Homeless to be taken in. Jesus is the Sick to be healed; He is the Lonely to be loved. Jesus is the Blind Man to be led; Jesus is the mute to speak to, a cripple to walk with, a prisoner to visit, an old man to serve. Jesus is the Unwanted to be wanted; He is the Leper to be washed; He is the Beggar to receive a smile; He is the drug addict to befriend; He is the prostitute to be saved from danger and to find a friend in Christ."

We have been commanded to be merciful, which is the essence of Christianity. This is an order not within our control, yet it cannot occur without us. God's action is fruitful when it encounters the soil of trust and faith; any other ground will not yield a harvest. We are not the Sowers, God is. Our responsibility is to nurture good soil, removing any acidity of selfishness and self-sufficiency. We need not worry about abundant crops and good fruits; they will come at the time determined by the Lord of the garden. Whether we are awake or asleep, the seed he sows sprouts (cf. Mk 4:27) and grows, transforming its environment and influencing it to become better and more beautiful.

May Jesus, then, enlarge our hearts so that we can become what He desires of us. May He expand our hearts so that we become merciful like the Father and serve as a leaven of new life and fruitfulness in our daily lives. Amen.

Until next time
fr. george