12 days ‒ Emptying oneself of the spirit of the world - Day 9
Blessed are the merciful
Prayer to the Holy Spirit
O Holy Spirit, inspire me. God’s love, engulf me. Holy Mary, my Mother, guide me in the right ways, look at me, and together with Jesus, bless me. Keep me from all evil, from all delusions and all threats. Mary, The Spouse of the Holy Spirit, obtain for me the grace of having hunger and thirst for righteousness. Amen!
The Word of God
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy” (Matt 5:7).
Meditation
God created a man to live in a world of harmonious relationships. When a man committed sin, this harmony was distorted. Cain wasn’t able to look friendly at his brother, so he killed him. How did God react? Although Abel’s blood was crying out from the ground, God didn’t become the avenger of Abel. He put a mark on Cain’s forehead to protect him so nobody would kill him. Only God could show such kindness towards evil. The spirit of the world is different, creating an inept fake of what God has done. Many people are conned only because they didn’t get to know God.
The world understands mercy as philanthropy, acts of kindness, volunteering, and, generally, being good. Some even claim 56 EMPTYING ONESELF OF THE SPIRIT OF THE WORLD that it is enough to be a good person to be redeemed. But if that were true, it would mean that we could defeat the evil we encounter through our good deeds, yet it is not like that. It would also mean that Christ’s sacrifice on the cross was useless, that He died for us in vain. And it is not like that.
So, what is mercy from God’s perspective? What is the difference between love and mercy? Love is the relationship of two equals, where there is a mutual sharing of the good. Mercy is about showing goodness to someone who doesn’t deserve it, who is not my equal but someone below me. Thus, we see that God’s actions towards the creation are merciful.
There are two Hebrew words that convey the nature of mercy:
–rachamim (from the Hebrew word rechem – womb), meaning mercy, compassion, pity, but also bowels;
– hesed, meaning mercy, faithfulness, grace, kindness. It describes the relation between two persons based on faithfulness. When it is used in the Old Testament in the context of the relationship between God and people, it describes God’s covenant with people. And although people were breaking this covenant, God was still faithful to it. So hesed is a pure gift of mercy, the grace stronger than sin. Saint Paul says that God proves His love for us being sinners!
The Church teaches that God proclaimed Himself finally in Jesus Christ—He is Mercy incarnate. In Jesus, everything says about mercy: the signs He made, especially for the sinners, the poor, the rejected, sick and suffering; His words and gestures— nothing is devoid of compassion in Him. By the power of this compassionate love, He forgave, healed, resurrected and multiplied the bread. Mercy prompted Jesus in all these circumstances; it allowed Him to read our hearts and respond to their most authentic needs.
That is why the merciful are blessed. Lucky are those whose hearts are moved by the sight of the suffering and needs of their brothers. They have hearts similar to the Heart of Jesus that pit- D 9 57 ied every misery, poverty and sorrow. The Father will receive them in the Kingdom because He will recognize in them the nature of His Son.
Jesus gave sister Faustina the amazing message of Divine Mercy where He calls on every weary to come with confidence to Him: “Souls that make an appeal to My mercy delight Me. To such souls I grant even more graces than they ask. I cannot punish even the greatest sinner if he makes an appeal to My compassion, but on the contrary, I justify him in My unfathomable and inscrutable mercy. Write: before I come as a just Judge, I first open wide the door of My mercy. He who refuses to pass through the door of My mercy must pass through the door of My justice…”2
Christ wants us to experience His mercy first, then to share it further. We can be merciful towards others only when we experience mercy ourselves.
Mercy is the most beautifully experienced in the sacrament of Holy Confession. When we experience forgiveness, at the same time, we receive the grace to forgive others. Since God has loved me as a sinner who didn’t meet His expectations and hurt Him with sins, I also have this grace to forgive all those who didn’t meet my expectations and hurt me. I simply pass down what I have received. Teaching us how to pray, Christ said: “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matt 6:12).
We can be astonished that the blessing we are reflecting upon today has a reverse direction. It doesn’t say: blessed are those who experienced mercy, for they will be merciful to others, but “blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy” (Matt 5:7). What does it mean? God tells me that I have to be merciful to attain mercy. But what should I lean on since I don’t have such an experience? I can lean on His Word. We have the freedom to decide what we rely on in our lives. It often happens that we rely on our numerous experiences. Experience tells us whether 58 EMPTYING ONESELF OF THE SPIRIT OF THE WORLD something is true or false. Experience allows us to see it in practice. Here, God says otherwise: lean on the Word of the Lord, even if you don’t have such an experience. Trust that it is true. Rely exclusively on My word, and you will see even greater mercy. “Bring your ear close to My Heart, forget everything else, and meditate upon My wondrous mercy. My love will give you the strength and courage you need in these matters.”3
Mary’s mercy in Magnificat: “His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation” (Lk 1:50). This is not about anxiety but the fear of God, which is the beginning of wisdom that gives rise to every grace. This fear is about avoiding everything that could get us away from God, and it attracts grace. This is Mary’s way of life—her eyes are totally fixed on God; she looks only for Him and nothing else, in every situation of her life. All her life is focused on God. Mary knows that every work of the Lord is an act of mercy. And He will show mercy to all people who avoid anything that can separate them from God.
The struggle of standing up to evil: what does it consist in? There are three main obstacles in opening up to mercy: being ashamed of my sins, discouragement, and the sin I don’t want to forgive myself.
Spiritual reading
“But what does the name of Jesus, the proper name of incarnate Wisdom signify to us if not ardent charity, infinite love and engaging gentleness? The distinctive characteristic of Jesus, the Saviour of the world, is to love and save men.”
St. Louis de Montfort, The Love of Eternal Wisdom, 120
“Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy. Oh, how much a soul’s distrust hurts me! Such a soul professes that I am Holy and Just, but does not believe that I am Mercy and does not trust in My Goodness. Even the devils glorify My Justice but do not believe in My Goodness. My Heart rejoices in this title of Mercy. Proclaim that mercy is the greatest attribute of God. All the works of My hands are crowned with mercy.”
Saint Maria Faustina, Diary. Divine Mercy in My Soul, 300‒301
Homework
Today, I will ask Mary for merciful eyes so I can see every person and everything happening to me from a perspective of mercy.
Prayer of consecration
I am all Yours, and all that I have is Yours, O most loving Christ, through Mary, Your most holy Mother. Amen!