We all know the golden rule: “Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Lk 6:31). Easier said than done, right? Notice that the rule is not, “Do to others as they deserve.” Thank goodness, because we don’t always deserve to receive mercy. We fail each other. We can be hurtful to others. We sin against God and each other. Even so, we’re called to “be merciful, just as your Heavenly Father is merciful” (Lk 6:36).
St. Faustina described God as an “Ocean of Mercy” (Diary 1142). Mercy—not power or justice—is God’s “first attribute” (Pope Francis, The Name of God is Mercy). We sing about God’s mercy in today’s Psalm: “Merciful and gracious is the Lord…Not according to our sins does he deal with us, nor does he requite us according to our crimes” (Ps 103: 8,10). God doesn’t angrily dole out justice as we sometimes deserve, but rather lovingly pours His infinite mercy over us.
How can we be merciful, love our enemies, and do good to those who hate us? It’s nearly impossible to do on our own, especially with the hardest people to love and forgive. Because God is overflowing with mercy, we can ask Him to forgive them for us. We can say the prayer Jesus offered for those who crucified Him: “Father forgive them, they know not what they do” (Lk 23:34).
One idea for becoming more merciful is to ask God to give you a heart full of mercy for the person you want to forgive. Forgiving someone who hurt you doesn’t mean that what they did was okay. It means giving Jesus the hurt you are carrying so He can free you from it. Through forgiveness, anger is cleared from your heart, making it open to receive more of God’s divine love and mercy.
Dear Lord, please help me to be an instrument of your mercy by forgiving someone who has hurt me.
7th Sunday in Ordinary Time
1 SAMUEL 26
PSALM 103
1 CORINTHIANS 15: 45-59
LUKE 6:27-38