Living Lives Of Mercy And Justice
Throughout the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, God calls believers to lives of mercy and justice. The Prophet Micah proclaimed, “You have been told, O mortal, what … the Lord requires of you: Only to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God” (6:8). In his letter, James reminds Christians how mercy is to be their banner – “What good is it if you tell your brother ‘Stay warm,’ unless you do something for them. Faith and works go hand in hand.” We do not earn eternal life in heaven. Rather, our good works spring forth from God’s divine life planted within us at baptism. God’s Spirit inspires our spirit – motivating us to be “holy just as God is holy.” In following the Spirit’s inspirations within us, the spring of life-giving water wells up within us as Jesus promised the Samaritan woman.
We recognize God’s presence in people who are good. Think of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Pope St. John Paul II, or Pope St. John XXIII. They radiated God’s presence through their lives. God raises up holy people among us as models of Gospel living who give us a glimpse into God’s love. We also encounter “holy” people in our daily lives. Who are the holy people who radiate God’s presence to us through their love and mercy? In baptism, we all received our basic vocation – the call to holiness, to live God’s life already here on earth and forever in heaven.
Pope Francis instructs us that God’s Word “…summons us so forcefully to brotherly love, to humble and generous service, to justice and mercy towards the poor. Jesus taught us this way of looking at others by his words and actions” (Evangelii Gaudium 194). How do we view the poor? Has Christ’s mind and heart become our own (Phil 2:5)? How do we react to people in the grocery store with welfare cardS? Do we think that they must be lazy? Do we judge them as “living off” the rest of us who pay taxes? How easy it is to be their judge, which belongs to God alone who knows the true circumstances of their lives.
Even the hearts of Christians, filled with God’s Spirit, can be cold, harsh and stony. Do we desire that God give us a new Spirit and a new heart of flesh (compassionate love)? Pray God, we never stop growing rich in the Spirit, whose fruits are “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).
The constant news reports about natural catastrophes can easily numb us to the sufferings of others. Flooded with constant news reports about earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, hurricanes and typhoons may decrease our quickness to help. Honesty before God also demands that we recognize how our many possessions in this land of bounty can numb us to the needs of others. God has been so generous to us in creating our beautiful world, giving us life, health, talents, and faith in Jesus. God invites us to imitate his generosity to others.
The Holy Father reminds us that when Saint Paul met with the elders in Jerusalem for approval of his ministry, the only mandate they gave him was that he should not forget the poor (Galatians 2:10). The Christian communities founded by St. Paul were not to fall into the self-centered lifestyle of the pagans (cf. E.G. 195). What a relevant admonition for us some 2000 years later!
