Homily: Thursday of the 23rd Week in OT - The Face of Mercy

Jesus commands us: “Forgive, and you shall be forgiven (Luke 6:37).”  Forgiveness is the distinctive mark of the Christian.  To those who do not follow Jesus, His command seems unjust, preposterous, and impossible.

What if your family was a victim of a terrorist attack?  What if your daughter was raped and murdered?  What if someone robbed and beat you?  Jesus tells us to treat even terrorists, rapists, murderers, and robbers with mercy.  He commands us to love them, to do good to them, to bless them, to pray for them, to give to them, to do to them as we would have them do to us, to lend to them “without expecting repayment”, to be clothed in mercy and forgiveness toward them.

These are Jesus’ standards, and they sound impossible.  Alexander Pope said, “To err is human; to forgive is divine.”  And there is truth there.  When we forgive, we become like God who forgives all. As Pope Benedict said, “Mercy has a name, mercy has a face, mercy has a heart.  Jesus Christ is Mercy itself.” To forgive our enemies is to grow in likeness to Jesus who is Mercy, who laid down his life, for those who persecuted Him, who from the cross cried out “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

As you know, Pope Francis has declared an upcoming Year for Mercy.  In his Papal Bull, Misericordiae Vultus, which is latin for, the Face of Mercy, he says,

“We need constantly to contemplate the mystery of mercy. It is a wellspring of joy, serenity, and peace. Our salvation depends on it. Mercy: the word reveals the very mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. Mercy: the ultimate and supreme act by which God comes to meet us. Mercy: the fundamental law that dwells in the heart of every person who looks sincerely into the eyes of his brothers and sisters on the path of life. Mercy: the bridge that connects God and man, opening our hearts to the hope of being loved forever despite our sinfulness.”

“In this Jubilee Year,” the Pope said, “may the Church echo the word of God that resounds strong and clear as a message and a sign of pardon, strength, aid, and love. May she never tire of extending mercy, and be ever patient in offering compassion and comfort. May the Church become the voice of every man and woman, and repeat confidently without end: (the words of the 25th Psalm) “Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old”, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.