NOVEMBER 2000

"Blessed be the merciful, for they will be shown mercy."
(Mt 5:7)

     If there is a word found in scripture which expresses, even more than others, the revelation of God in Jesus Christ, that word is mercy.
     In the magnificent and divine manifestation of Sinai, the Lord revealed to Moses: "The Lord is a merciful and gracious God… continuing his kindness for a thousand generations" (Ex 34:6-7).
     At the dawning of the messianic day, Mary announced to Elizabeth that the Almighty had remembered his mercy (see Lk 1:54), and he who was conceived in her bore witness to this. In Jesus, therefore, son of God and of Mary, the paternal and maternal love of God are joined together. This is clearly expressed in the two Hebrew terms used to describe mercy, that is, a profound attitude of goodness, of kindness which manifests God’s faithfulness towards himself and his maternal love towards all.
     But what makes mercy so powerful as to triumph over justice (see Lk 1:54)?
     And why does Jesus give such importance to this virtue to the point of making it a condition for personal salvation?

"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy."

     As John Paul II clearly explains, mercy is "an indispensable dimension of love; it is, as it were, love’s second name."1 He looks at the words of the beatitudes as a synthesis of the Good News which is the revelation of God’s salvific love and the invitation to everyone to be as merciful as the Father is and as Jesus, the most perfect image of the Father, is.
     The theme of the beatitudes returns in the prayer of the Our Father: "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." It would seem that in heaven the size of the pardon granted for our debts is in proportion to the forgiveness we show towards our brothers and sisters.
     The theme of mercy and pardon runs through the entire Gospel. Actually, Jesus’ goal is what he revealed to us in his prayer the night of his passion: to unite all men and women, to make all humanity one big family modelled on the Trinity. The whole of his teaching tends to give us, through his love, the tool for achieving this sublime communion among ourselves and with God. And mercy is the utmost expression of love, of charity, that which completes it and makes it
perfect.

"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy."

     Let us try, then, in all our relationships, to live this love towards others shown as mercy!
     Mercy is a love that welcomes every neighbor, especially the poor and needy. It is an unlimited, abundant, universal, and concrete love. It is a love which prompts reciprocity, which is the ultimate goal of mercy, without which there would be only justice. Justice helps create equality, but not brotherhood.
     There is much talk in our day of the pardon denied to those who have committed serious crimes. Often revenge is sought more than justice. But once every attempt has been made to compensate for the damage done, room must be left for pardon. Pardon alone can heal the personal and social trauma produced by evil. "Forgive and you will be forgiven" (Lk 6:37).
     If we in any way have been offended or treated unjustly, let us forgive and we will be forgiven. Let us be the first to express kindness and compassion!
     Even if it’s hard, even if it demands enormous courage, we can ask ourselves as we face every neighbor: how would their own mother act? It’s a thought that can help us to understand our neighbor and act in a manner that reflects the love of God.

1. John Paul II, Dives in Misericordia, n. 7.

Chiara Lubich

The commentary to the Word of Life is translated in 90 different languages and dialects, and reaches more than 14 million people worldwide, through the press, and radio and TV programs. If you would like to read experiences of life related to this or to past "Words of Life," they can be found in Living City magazine, the monthly publication of the Focolare Movement. For information, or to subscribe, write to: Living City, P.O. Box 837, Bronx, NY 10465. To order the magazine, call: 1-800-462-5980. E-mail: livingcity2000@att.net  or   info@newcitypress.com or visit the website: https://www.newcitypress.com/livingcity.htm

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