"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy."
Today is the feast of Saint Luke, who is the author of both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. In actuality, those two books pretty much form one complete book about Jesus and the early Church. Sometimes, the Gospel of Luke is called the "Gospel of Mercy" - a recognition of the way in which Jesus shows the mercy of God and calls us to greater mercy in what we do.
Let's face it. I suspect that mercy is something we appreciate being shown to us - and a lack of mercy can sneak up on us. I know in my life that I believe I try to be kind, I try to be merciful, and sometimes I fail at this spectacularly. I can be harsh - hopefully just on the inside and, on the outside, finally get a grip on things. But the harshness can pop up. I don't like it. I have on my various desks statues of Jesus the Good Shepherd - clearly the epitome of mercy - but it sometimes does not sink in. Mercy and joy are two topics that are at the heart of religion for me - but they are an ongoing struggle.
Why is this? My hunch is that I show the least mercy when I am tired and overwhelmed. Then I am capable of knee-jerk reactions without real thought. The vast majority of the time, I keep these knee-jerk reactions inside - and don't let them out. But it is a struggle. This happens when I find myself being judgmental and have failed to even try to give someone else the benefit of the doubt. Not showing mercy can also be caused when the pace of life is just galloping on and is faster and faster and the demands are greater and greater (like right now - especially in the past year) and I have little or no time to reflect and think through what I'm doing. (If I'm really feeling sorry for myself, then this also happens when I feel that no one knows the pressures that I'm working under - but I also know that this can be an excuse and rationalization - but it is more real than not, I think.)
The above are practical things I struggle with. They are things that I pray about. They are things that do not make me peaceful.
Do I have a solution? A partial one - slow down, emphasize gratitude more than other qualities, and just shout out Help to God (have been doing that an awful lot lately).
Mercy is pesky. I need to work harder at it.
TODAY's GRATITUDE: For the people who have been merciful to me.