Drawing on the newly inaugurated Year of Mercy, Bishop Gerard Holohan encouraged all faithful to be ‘lights of mercy’ in his 2015 Christmas message. Photo: Supplied
One of the saddest features of Australian society is a growing hardness of heart – particularly against anyone we perceive to be a threat to our self-interest.
While there are those moved by the plight of refugees, for example, the Australian bi-partisan policy of leaving refugees in detention centres at Nauru and Manus Island is only possible because of majority public support. There is hard-heartedness towards these people, particularly children who inevitably will suffer psychologically from their experience.
Banks, too, reflect hardness of heart by penalising ordinary families and those less well off with higher interest rates to ensure their multi-million-dollar profits. Media stories about criminals and the homeless also fail to reflect any compassion or understanding.
Then there are so many examples of hard-heartedness at other levels – adult children who neglect ageing parents in nursing care; siblings at war over wills; spouses who refuse to understand or forgive mistakes, and even failures in marriages.
I am sure that we can all think of other examples. This is not a world envisaged by God.
As we come again to Christmas, let us ponder the gap between the society we are becoming and the mercy of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He is the face of God for all of us, born to bring ‘peace on earth’.
Year of Mercy
The mercy of Jesus, the face of God, is a fundamental of Christian faith. Pope Francis has called on us to celebrate God’s mercy towards us – and also to reflect God’s mercy towards others in our lives – during this year, the Year of Mercy. What, then, do we mean by mercy?
What is mercy?
The word ‘mercy’ in English normally is associated with compassion. In the Hebrew language that Jesus knew, however, mercy brings together two human basic experiences.
One example of the first is a mother on the television news some time ago. Her son was killed accidentally, having committed a terrible crime.
She pleaded for understanding for her son. She was moved from the depths of her heart to try to understand her son, and asked viewers to try to do the same.
The first human experience of the Hebrew meaning of mercy, therefore, is the inner movement to be understanding. The second experience is the attitude or disposition of desiring to help when someone is in trouble or in need.
Perhaps the most moving example of this mercy in Jesus was His pleading with God the Father to forgive those who crucified Him. Despite his agony, He was moved within to pray ‘Father forgiven them for they do not know what they are doing’ [Luke 23:34]. He understands them in His heart, and seeks to help them – in this case, by praying for their forgiveness by God.
The mercy Jesus showed, therefore, was deeply emotional, understanding and desiring to help. This is the mercy which reflects the mercy of God – the mercy Christians are called to develop and to share with others.
God thirsts for us
In John’s Gospel, we read of Jesus asking a Samaritan woman for a drink from a well. However, after a conversation about her life, Jesus does not get a drink for His real thirst was satisfied by her conversion to Him [John 4:1-42].
Jesus revealed that God’s thirst is for a personal relationship with every human individual.
The source of God’s mercy is God’s love which is so intense that God ‘thirsts’ for us. Anyone who has experienced a real thirst because they have run out of water in the Kimberley knows how totally it absorbs the attention.
If we are honest with ourselves, none of us can say we never sin. At times, we all disobey the One without whom we would not be able to take our next breath or read this article for another second.
However, though we offend the One in whom, as St Paul said “we live and move and have our being”, God still allows us to keep breathing and to keep reading [Acts 17:28]. As a thirsty person is desperate for water, so God desperately wants a close personal relationship with each one of us. This is why God so particularly awaits a response from us – and shows us mercy.
Jesus, the face of God, taught this by His action at the well. We learn, as the Catechism explains [Catechism of the Catholic Church 2560]
… It is (Jesus) who first seeks us and asks us for a drink. Jesus thirsts: His asking arises from the depths of God’s desire for us.
God forgives all who repent
Those who deliberately sin in ways that violate serious laws of God weaken or even break their personal relationships with God. Jesus taught God’s mercy in the Parables of the Father and his Two Sons; the Lost Coin; and the Lost Sheep. He taught how God wants us to return to a relationship, like a parent wanting a wayward child to return. God wants to forgive them if only they will return to God [Luke 15: 4-7, 8-10 and 11-32].
When confronted by the merciless Pharisees with a woman caught in adultery, Jesus first defended her against those wanting to judge her – then He told her, ‘go and do not sin again’ [John 8:3-11].
Jesus forgave people their sins, even forgiving the crucified, repentant thief who was dying alongside Jesus. Jesus gave His life so that humanity could be forgiven.
Finally, so that God can renew our relationship with the One who loves us, Jesus instituted the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In times gone by, this was called ‘Confession’. It was thought of only in terms of the forgiveness of sin.
However, Jesus does more than this through the Sacrament. He restores the relationship with God as though we had never sinned in the first place. It is only as this relationship is restored that we can experience fully God’s guidance and blessings for our lives.
Jesus cared for people
Jesus showed God’s mercy by His special care for the poor, the sick, the marginalised and the suffering. He did so by His miracles, answering people’s life questions and with His teachings.
He wanted all, but particularly these people, to feel God’s merciful love for them [Luke 4:18; 7:22]. He was seen as a friend to sinners, and as welcoming to those whom Jewish society did not accept [Luke 5:27, 30; 7:22 etc].
Jesus was moved by individuals
Jesus reflected God’s mercy to individuals as well as to people generally. He was moved, for example, by the suffering of the widow whose only son had died and the father whose daughter had died [Luke 7:13; 8:42].
How do we develop Christian mercy?
As we know, Jesus shares His divine nature with us through Baptism. With the Father and the Holy Spirit, He is present within us.
As a result, through Baptism, “the love of God has been poured onto our hearts by the Holy Spirit” [Romans 5:5]. With this love, the mercy of God is also poured into our hearts.
Jesus taught us to develop this mercy so that, as it grows in our lives, we become instruments of God’s mercy to others. God’s mercy develops within us as we
- pray for it each day
- nourish (or feed) it with the Eucharist
- allow Jesus to restore our relationships with God by celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation
- strive to live the command of Jesus, “Be merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful” [Luke 6:36].
Jesus taught us to be merciful for our own sakes also, for we will all face God’s judgement when we die. Jesus taught “Blessed are the merciful for mercy shall be shown them” [Matthew 5:7].
Why not show mercy by forgiveness this Christmas?
So often, when families get together for Christmas, tensions surface after a few drinks. Tensions reveal unforgiven hurts and disagreements from the past. Perhaps these have been like cancers to family relationships.
Why not decide this Christmas to give genuine and final forgiveness to any family member who has hurt us without conditions. If genuine and final, this will bring inner happiness and peace. It would reflect Jesus who forgave those who crucified Him, even though they were still hurting and jeering at Him.
Let us do the same for friends and other people in our lives. If we simply cannot do so, let us resolve to use the means Jesus gave us to nurture the divine mercy within us so that we will be able to give the gift of forgiveness to others next Christmas.
Jesus showed mercy through care
Part of the reason why mercy seems to be dying in Australian society may be the pace of people’s lives. However, it is important for the Christian to try to give time to others in need.
Let no one neglect giving time to elderly parents, to the sick and to the lonely. It would be ideal if every person living alone in our street knew who the Catholics were by their greetings.
The parish of mercy
A parish will show mercy if it responds to Jesus’ call to engage in the corporal (or body) works of mercy Jesus taught in His Last Judgement parable [Matthew 25:31-46]
- feeding the hungry
- welcoming strangers
- providing clothing for those in need
- visiting the sick
- providing care for prisoners.
Many of our parishes collect food and clothing for distribution in the community; visit the sick and are welcoming to all. Many parish organisations engage in these works of mercy. It is important for all, however, to keep reflecting upon whether they could do more.
Welcoming those feeling rejected
Tragically, many today feel rejected by the Church for all sorts of reasons. They include those who have remarried after divorce; those who have had abortions; and gay people in relationships which violate the Sixth Commandment.
The Church needs always to proclaim the teachings and the Commandments of God. However, we need still to be welcoming to those who do not keep one or more Commandments, just as Jesus did.
We need to make them feel welcome at parish events and remind them of God’s love for them. The Church always must show love to all for none of us is without sin.
Let us be lights in society
Jesus taught that His followers must be ‘lights to the world’ [Matthew 5:14]. In an Australia that is darkening as hard-heartedness grows, we are called to be lights showing mercy.
Let us reflect on ways we can do so in our families, places of work, pubs and other recreation places – and anywhere else we meet people. In this way, let us fulfill our responsibilities as followers of the Lord who come to bring ‘peace on earth’.
Happy Christmas to you all!