Mercy and being nice aren’t the same. Mercy is loving those who do not deserve it – to will and do the good for those who hurt us. Sometimes mercy requires being nice. But mercy must always be moved by love of the Truth who is Jesus. This is what it means when Jesus commands us to love our enemies and be merciful as the Father is merciful.
But already we can raise two objections. The first is why should we be merciful and accept injustice against us. Pope Benedict XVI says God’s love turns Himself against His justice (Deus caritas est, 10). Moreover, “the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).” So the Father offering life to sinners is unjust for the Father. The second question follows the first: how can we humans be merciful like the Father and accept this injustice?
The First Reading answers both questions. David refuses to kill Saul: “Who can lay hands on the LORD’s anointed and remain unpunished?” (1 Samuel 26:9) David knows God will justly punish Saul for his sins (v.10). Saul “searching for David in the desert of Ziph” (v.2) is a sin against God because Saul wants to kill the man God has chosen to be the next King of Israel.
However, David does not kill Saul because David loves and fears the Lord. The Lord says in Deuteronomy “vengeance is mine, I will repay”. A sin against our neighbor offends God whose image is in our neighbor. Thus, only God can pardon the sinner because sin ultimately offends God. “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy” (Exodus 33:19).
Thus, the second question is answered: mercy begins with grace. Grace is a free gift of God given to sinners for their salvation (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1996). Grace reveals the Truth: I am a sinner. The Truth revealed by grace helps us return to Christ and avoid sin (CCC 1989-1990). In order to “be merciful just as [the] Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36) we need to let God be God. We need to let God love us and to respond to His freely-given grace by turning back to Him, bold to run and celebrate the Sacrament of Penance lest we die in our sin.
Hence, God gives us the grace to love our enemies, whether it be our boss, a coworker, or a random person. Christ touches their hearts when we work with grace to forgive. Moreover, we merit works for our salvation when we freely cooperate with grace. Any good we do is done through, with, and in Jesus Christ. It is never us alone, nor is it ever grace alone. Let us keep in mind the words of St Augustine, the Doctor of Grace: “If, then, your good merits are God’s gifts, God does not crown your merits as your merits, but as His own gifts”(On Grace and Free Will, XV).
Joseph Yuson – St. Joseph Seminary, Edmonton, Alberta
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