merciful: filled with mercy

Jesus says, “Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy.” (Matthew 5:7)

How does one become “merciful”? Only when we realize we lack mercy.  To be filled with mercy we first must admit we are prone to judgment.

Meditate on the expression: full of mercy, full of mercy, full of mercy.

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Mercy can never be hoarded. If it is not given away, it is not mercy. Karl Barth wrote: “Grace must find expression in life, otherwise it is not grace.”

Here lies the paradox: to be filled with mercy is to offer mercy. It is in the giving away that we receive.

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If being merciful feels powerful, you are not being merciful. Very soon we will revert to more direct displays of coercion.  The authentic Christian pardons not because they are sinless but rather because they are keenly aware of their own need for pardon.  Genuine forgiveness is not a play of control, but rather an act of surrender to God.  Christian forgiveness feels risky—more like abandonment. (But, of course, we are never really abandoned; God is our refuge.)

“With the measure I use, it will be measured to me.” If I judge, I too will be judged. If I want mercy, I need to show mercy.

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Meditate on the expression: filled with mercy, filled with mercy, filled with mercy.

Then, meditate on the name: Jesus, full of mercy.