THE MERCY OF GOD
God’s
mercy is something we need to reflect upon often as it is an integral
aspect of His forgiveness and love for us all. This well-known image of
Jesus leaving the 99 sheep and going after the one that is lost is a
perfect invitation to reflect upon the mercy of God.
Sheep
are really quite pitiful animals. They have a flock mentality that is
very strong. The image of a sheep on its own, apart from its flock, is
already enough to induce in me a sense of pity. But pity is not mercy.
The implication in the image of the lost sheep is that it is lost
because it has chosen to depart from the flock for one reason or
another. This idea leads me to lose my pity for the lost sheep — after
all, it is its own fault that it finds itself in such a situation. Why
should I have pity on the sheep when it has chosen to be apart from the
flock?
Yet
God steps into the image and seeks out the lost sheep until He finds
it. This is what mercy is all about – not leaving the vulnerable and
lonely on their own but seeking them out even if it is their fault that
they find themselves in a bad situation. Mercy does not seek to
apportion blame to anyone but simply recognizes the human need for some
sort of assistance and then providing that help. Mercy takes the first
step towards the person in need; it does not wait for the other to make
the first step towards it.
We
should all seek to cultivate mercy in our lives. It is to the merciful
that mercy will be shown according to the Beatitudes. We all need mercy due to our sins. Let us be the first to express mercy to others and not just wait for it to come to us. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL
REFLECTION QUESTION: Are you a merciful person or do you have a lot to learn in this area?
Lord
Jesus, help me to grow in the exercise of mercy towards those who have
sinned against me. Help me to forgive them; help me to love them more
and more each day.
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