The associated reading for this reflection can be found in your Every Sacred Sunday Mass journal or online here.
“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” - Luke 6:36
If today’s Gospel made you a little bit uncomfortable, congrats friend, we are in the same boat. This simple rule is one that is the hardest to follow at times: do unto others as you would have them do to you. If you are anything like me, city traffic, heated family discussions, and differences in opinion is a short pathway for us to put this into practice. Today’s Gospel pushes us even further: to be merciful.
Mercy is defined as “compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm”. It is in times where someone commits wrongdoing towards us that we hold great power and responsibility. We could always talk back, cut someone off, go back and forth between who is right or wrong- and in our own humanness we tend to keep a scoreboard of every time we have been wronged. Today’s Gospel reminds us about God’s call for us to practice mercy through His eyes.
And the Lord’s mercy keeps no score.
The Lord does not stop to think whether or not we are worthy of mercy and forgiveness, He simply gives it. He gives His compassion and mercy freely and willingly to us, to our enemies, to everyone in between. It is merely a gift.
Each of us are called to give mercy to each other; to see one another's humanity, and choose to love anyway. Each of us are called by the Lord in some way to receive his mercy in the most beautiful way possible through the sacrament of reconciliation. With His grace and mercy we are made new, and we are alive again.
Let us pray together: My Lord help me to love you through the mercy I show others. Walk with me in conversation with my friends, family, and strangers who I may come across. May my intentions be made known to you, and may they be free of vengeance, revenge, jealousy, or the desire to be right. Grant me the grace to desire mercy for myself and for others. Amen.
Kathryn Dore is just your everyday young adult striving to abide in Christ Jesus. She loves worshipping, dancing, and laughing until she cries. Her passions include good eats and spontaneous heart- to-heart convos. Follow her on Instagram!