Homily: Monday - 2nd Week of Lent 2017 - The measure of mercy

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus gives very clear instruction to his disciples in his great Sermon on the Mount. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus gives an exhortation to his followers in what is called the Sermon on the Plain. And today’s passage from the Sermon on the Plain is really the climax of the Sermon, making the theme of mercy the pinnacle of his instruction. If you take anything away from this Sermon, remember mercy.

In the Old Testament, the merciful person was one who identified with the needs of others and worked to alleviate their suffering. For the Jewish people, the model of mercy was God himself. “Praise the LORD, for he is good; for his mercy endures forever; Praise the God of gods; for his mercy endures forever; Praise the Lord of lords; for his mercy endures forever” Psalm 136 repeats this proclamation of God’s everlasting mercy 26 times. He is the one who gives bread to all flesh, frees his people from their foes, remembers them in their lowliness, gives land to his people as a heritage.

Jesus instructs us that we are to be imitators of the Father’s mercy—if we imitate the Father’s mercy, we will receive mercy beyond all measure: we will escape condemnation, and will know forgiveness, we will experience God’s abundant generosity in our lives.

“For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you”. To an honest person, that’s kind of terrifying! God is going to treat me with the amount of mercy that I show to those in need: the people that came to me for help, the people that I walked past that I should have helped, the person who needed a kind word of encouragement, the person who needed to be corrected, the person who needed to be consoled, the person who needed to be fed and clothed and cared for.
We can’t help everyone, we can’t save everybody. That’s true. But did you help someone, did you try to save anybody?

Yesterday, I reflected on the beautiful example of St. Veronica, who simply wiped the face of Jesus with her veil. “She did not let herself be deterred by the brutality of the soldiers or the fear that gripped the disciples. (BXVI)” But she responded to the invitation to show mercy, despite her fears and hesitations, and thereby came to see through Jesus’ bloodied and bruised face, the face of God and his goodness.

Jesus’ instruction here should certainly cause us to commit deeply to Lenten almsgiving. May we grow in our attentiveness to those in need, and respond as we can to those needs, and thereby become instruments of God’s mercy for the Glory of God and salvation of souls.

For greater devotion in our Lenten prayer, greater self-restraint in our Lenten fasting, and greater selflessness in our Lenten almsgiving.

For the married, the engaged, the single; for consecrated religious; for our bishops, priests, and deacons.

For the widowed, the separated, the divorced; for anyone in vocational crisis.

For the protection of the unborn, the abused, and every defenseless human being.

For the reverent use and sharing of the world’s resources;  for those in search of employment, in need of healthcare, education, or housing.

For the victims of disasters and of violence; for the sick and their care-givers.