The Force of Mercy

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Joseph, mercy, psalm 33, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Most of us know the story of Joseph and his brothers. This is the Joseph of “the coat of many colors” whose brothers were very jealous of him and the love that his father had for him. They were so jealous, the story goes, that they stripped him of that coat, threw him into a cistern and then sold him into slavery to a passing caravan. As we know, what goes around comes around, and in time, Joseph became counselor to the pharaoh and “all the world came to Joseph to obtain grain” during the ensuing famine.

This story is so very heart-rending in that when his brothers stood before Joseph, not recognizing him, he could not hold their jealousy and smallness against them, because of his love—primarily his love for his father. He was also aware of his role in the history of the people as he said to them, “It was really for the sake of saving lives that God sent me here ahead of you.”

This morning I came upon a reflection by Renee Yann, RSM (Religious Sisters of Mercy) that spoke of the quality of mercy, that fierce, bonding love that would not allow Joseph to hold his brothers accountable when he was face to face with them. I repeat it here for your pondering.

“Praying Psalm 33 reminds me that one can never demand mercy. We cannot require the other to hold us in continual compassion. We can only hope and be grateful. Mercy is the gift of a heart moved beyond itself by love and tenderness. Such outpouring is the very nature of God in whose image we were created. Thus, for God, and for us, to be unmerciful is to be unnatural. In Psalm 33 we pray not only to receive mercy but to become mercy.”

May we all come to know the quality of mercy in our lives and disperse it as if sowing seeds in our earthly garden.

Dive Into Mercy

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Acts of the Apostles, Cynthia Bourgeault, mercy, need, Sr. Faustina, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Today, Sunday in the Octave of Easter, was renamed in the year 2000 as “Divine Mercy Sunday” in the Roman Catholic Church. I didn’t pay much attention to the new attribution. I was much more interested in the continuation of the Easter season, which we know to be the 50 days stretching from Easter to Pentecost. I have been aware of the great popularity of this new designation and wondered at the reasons behind what seemed to mimic and then overshadow the event at Fatima in the early 20th century. Pope (now “Saint”) John Paul II moved quickly to canonize Sister Maria Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun (see internet accounts) whose visions have been verified by the Church and place a significant focus on the mercy of Christ.

As events of this new century have become more and more challenging, I have come to understand more deeply the popularity of this feast. A search of the word “mercy” in any lexicon is a worthy activity for a quiet Sunday afternoon… One can find all sorts of reasons to amplify the meaning of what some of us learned in our youth as a “beating of the breast” cry for God’s forgiveness of our sins.

My favorite definition, offered in this blog more than once and attributed to Cynthia Bourgeault’s study, leads us to an old Etruscan word, merc, having to do with some sort of exchange, as seen in words like merchant and merchandise. We can see it, as Cynthia did, as a “divine exchange,” growing into a “fierce, bonding love” that sees a connection with God that is unbreakable.

I am led today, therefore, to a fuller appreciation of the word and the importance of the quality of mercy in my life—both as a virtue to be practiced in my relationships with others, and a welcome gift from others when I fail to be my best self. If you need a guide for today, I recommend reflection on the first lectionary reading from the Acts of the Apostles (4:32-35):

The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that their possessions were their own, but they had everything in common…There was no needy person among them for those who owned property or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds of the sale, and put them at the feet of the apostles, and they were distributed to each according to need.

Love/Mercy

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Cynthia Bourgeault, God's mercy, Helen Luke, Hosea, love, mercy, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Interesting to the readings this morning are the words love and mercy, used interchangeably from the first lectionary reading to the psalm. In the first reading from the prophet Hosea, (6:6), we read, For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice…Fast on the heels of Hosea—and referencing the same, we have the Psalm whose refrain states four times: It is mercy I desire, not sacrifice. So which is it? Love or mercy that God desires?

As soon as I wrote that question, I was catapulted back to Cynthia Bourgeault’s book, Mystical Hope, chapter two—a brilliant explication given by author Helen Luke and referenced by Cynthia, of the word “mercy.” (I’m sure many of you have heard me explain this before but it bears repeating.) “In her book, Old Age, Helen Luke explains that “the word “mercy” derives from the ancient Etruscan word merc; the words “commerce” and “merchant” share this same root. And so at heart, mercy means some kind of exchange or transaction. It is a connection word…The root meaning of exchange persisted and developed in another context, its meaning deepening through the French merci to a grateful response and kindness of heart, and finally to the compassion and forgiveness, including all our shades of darkness, where we are able to open ourselves to the Mercy”…(Bourgeault, p.23-24)

Although that sounds like love to me, the next page “seals the deal” with the following: So when we think of mercy, we should be thinking first and foremost of a bond, an infallible link of love that holds the created and uncreated realms together. The mercy of God does not come and go, granted to some and refused to others. Why? Because it is unconditional—always there, underlying everything. It is literally the force that holds everything in existence, the gravitational field in which we live and move and have our being. (p. 25)

Sit with that, if you will, and see if it doesn’t call forth a hearty “Thank you” to God.

The Roots of Mercy

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Cynthia Bourgeault, Helen Luke, mercy, St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Thomas Merton

In her book, Mystical Hope, Cynthia Bourgeault speaks of the quality of mercy, drawing on the work of Helen Luke and Thomas Merton. This commentary shifted for me the meaning of the virtue that in my early life bore the impression of pity, as in “Lord, have mercy on us!” while beating our breasts.

For Luke, in her book Old Age, her understanding of mercy was broadened by a trip to the American Heritage Dictionary (!) where she found, as Cynthia explains, that “the word ‘mercy’ derives from the ancient Etruscan word merc; the words “commerce” and “merchant” share the same root. And so at heart, mercy means some kind of exchange or transaction. It is a connection word.” Luke goes on to connect the word to “the French merci, a grateful response and kindness of heart, and finally to compassion and forgiveness, including all our shades of darkness, whereby we are able to open ourselves to the Mercy.”

It is Thomas Merton, however, whose treatment of the word has stayed with me and remains a linchpin of how I should engage and treat people in all circumstances. In his essay “The Good Samaritan,” Merton refers to the original Semitic translation, which means “a fierce, bonding love – as between committed lovers. It is not about pity, but about passion.” He continues, “Chesed [mercy] is fidelity, it is also strength. It is ultimate and unfailing because it is the power that binds one person to another, in a covenant of hearts.”

Today we honor St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, the visionary who is particularly responsible for the feast of the Divine Mercy. We would do well to spend some time reflecting on the definitions above as they relate to the feast of today and give thanks to the God who is “rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us…” (EPH 2:4)

The Tax Collector

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inner light, Jesus, Matthew, mercy, sacrifice, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Jesus had a unique way of choosing his disciples. There were no interviews, no ‘vetting” to be sure of the character of the person being considered. Jesus just approached a person, said “Follow me!” and it was up to the person called to get up from whatever s/he was doing and go. Most, it seems, were fishermen – honest workers with simple lives. One wonders about Matthew, the tax collector. Was he maybe chosen as a test for the rest of the band of followers or for the larger population that knew him as “a sinner,” because of his profession, a challenge of magnanimity, perhaps?

Clearly, Jesus had a point in mind when he encountered Matthew. When people grumbled and looked askance at Matthew in the company of Jesus, they were likely surprised at the reason Jesus gave for his choice. “Those who are well do not need a physician,” he said, “but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

This should be a comfort to all of us who are not yet perfect. Jesus was clearly able to see the inner light in Matthew rather than only what was considered necessary for his work. The proof that he was ready to step up to a deeper calling can be seen in his willingness and ability to leave the life he was living to respond to the light he saw in Jesus that was reflected somehow in his own person. A good lesson for us when we want to judge someone whose inner light is not clearly visible to us in our day-to-day life.

Debate

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enemy, forgiveness, friend, grace, gratitude, John Philip Newell, mercy, Praying With the Earth, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Everything is quiet this morning. I woke up to a morning with no wind, no rain, no snow – and no cars racing down the road. I was grateful for all that after the tumultuous debate of democratic candidates for President of the United States last night. Most bothersome was the disregard for time limits as people continued to talk while others were chiming in with their opinions and disagreements until it became what I imagine the Tower of Babel was like. I presume this will continue now until the primary races are over and there is a named nominee. And then there will be the more contentious period of run-up to the general election. It will not be a pretty process, but unavoidable for committed citizens. While we don’t need to listen to everything, staying above the fray and listening to nothing is not the way to participate in our democracy so I am grateful for moments like this one and guides like John Philip Newell who grounds me in simplicity with his morning prayers. Won’t you join me today?

We wake to the forgiveness of a new day. We wake to the freedom to begin again. We wake to the mercy of the sun’s redeeming light. Always new, always gift, always blessing. We wake to the forgiveness of this new day.

May our enemy become our friend, O God, that we may share earth’s goodness. May our enemy become our friend, O God, that our children may meet and marry. May our enemy become our friend, O God, that we may remember our shared birth in you. May we grow in grace, may we grow in gratitude, may we grow in wisdom, that our enemy may become our friend. (Praying with the Earth – A Prayerbook for Peace, p. 36)

Paul’s Passion

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blessings, Christmas, compassion, Jesus, love, mercy, Philippians, St. Paul, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

According to the liturgical calendar, today is a “Christmas weekday.” Would you know it if I hadn’t told you? Are your presents still visible under your tree? Are you saying: “What tree?” I’m being facetious, of course – trying to make the point that sometimes we move from expectation (a long process) through experience (sometimes very brief) to let-down (“business as usual”) without savoring the event itself or being changed by it at all.

There are two sets of readings for today and in both St. Paul seems to be pleading for our attention to the effect of Jesus coming into the world. First, the Christmas weekday reading says this: “See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we are children of God…Beloved, we are God’s children NOW!” (1 JN 2) The second, from the Letter to the Philippians, urges an even deeper consciousness of who we must be in the name of Jesus. “Brothers and sisters,” Paul says, ” if there is any encouragement in Christ, any solace in love, any participation in the Spirit, any compassion and mercy, complete my joy by being of the same mind with the same love, united in heart…”

Can you feel it? Did you experience the love that Christmas calls us to? If not, is there still a chance you might manifest it today or work toward the recognition of which Paul speaks even in some small way? A “hello” or a kind word to a colleague? Even a smile would do for a start. You may be surprised to “see what love God has bestowed upon us.”

Blessings on you this day, children of God.

Sunday Song

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compassion, hospitality, Lynn Bauman, mercy, psalm 98, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

I love the psalms that speak of the natural world doing what we think is reserved to humans. It’s easy to see the trees swaying and to interpret the movement as a dance; why not imagine more participation of the earth that was made long before humankind? Here’s the last part of today’s lectionary psalm (PS 98) as expressed by Lynn Bauman. I highlighted the most meaningful part for me. See what you can see.

Praise God till earth itself becomes a song, till seas and waters flow and waves begin to dance with land and all the peoples sing. Let every river lift its hands to clap in time, while hills and valleys join in song to offer hospitality to the Holy One, who comes to right our every wrong. This God will weigh the worth of everything that was, and is, and ever shall be, so mercy can be known in full, and justice here be balanced with compassion. (Ancient Songs Sung Anew, p. 247)

A Heartfelt Promise

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mercy, pray, proclaim, psalm 52, thank you, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, trust

This morning’s lectionary psalm response evoked in me an image of a young person kneeling by her bed, praying to God in sincere and fervent declaration, her first prayer of the day. See what it offers for you.

“ I, like a green tree in the house of God, trust in the mercy of God forever. I will thank you always for what you have done and proclaim the goodness of your name before your faithful ones.” (PS 52: 10-11)

Personification

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justice, Lord, Lynn Bauman, mercy, psalm98, the general dance, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Thomas Merton

In the traditional translations of Psalm 98 we read today that “the Lord comes to rule the world with justice.” That could make us shiver and evoke images of what may become a category 3 or 4 hurricane in Florida and other places to our south this weekend. It seems that we – some of us at least – usually tend toward the negative interpretation of God’s entry into the world. The word “wrath” comes to mind in this situation. Even for some who define God as Love, there’s almost a knee-jerk reaction at moments like that. It seems strange, does it not?

Today, not only did I read on at the usccb.org website to find: “Let the rivers clap their hands and the mountains shout with them for joy before the Lord, for he comes to rule the earth.” How can we suppress a smile at those images? I found (not surprisingly) an even more picturesque version in Lynn Bauman’s modern translation that is similar up to verse 9 where hills and valleys are clapping and and waves are dancing and people singing, but goes on to conclude what should assuage all our fears of reprisal for our failings. Listen:

Let hills and valleys join in song to offer hospitality to the Holy One, who comes to right our every wrong. This God will weigh the worth of everything that was, and is, and ever shall be so mercy can be known in full, and justice here be balanced with compassion. (Ancient Songs Sung Anew, (p. 247)

That all sounds good to me, an invitation maybe to go out and join in what Thomas Merton calls “the general dance!”