Scripture: Matthew 5:7
Journal: How do you define mercy? How are
you in need of mercy? How do you receive
it? How is your capacity to receive
mercy tied to your ability to extend it?
Reflection:
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.” (Matthew 5:7) I don’t know about you, but far
too often I am critical rather than merciful.
And I hate that. It’s just a
knee-jerk reaction. It’s like grabbing
my elbow when something hits my funny bone.
And I’m not exactly sure how to go about changing it.
I do have a desire to be
merciful. And I certainly want to
receive mercy. But the giving of it is a
bit more difficult. What does it take to
make someone a merciful and compassionate person? What has to go on deep in the heart and soul of
a person, in order for the first impulse to be compassion rather than criticism,
comparison, or competition? Can I train
myself to react mercifully? Or do I need
to immerse myself so deeply in God’s mercy that it just becomes a part of who I
am? It becomes what I bleed whenever I
am cut. Who knows? Maybe it’s all of the above. Maybe it’s not either/or, but both/and. Whatever it takes, I have a suspicion that
just sitting back and doing nothing is not the answer.
Maybe it all starts with
prayer. Maybe it all starts with making
the Jesus prayer my intimate companion.
“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Maybe through something as simple as praying
this prayer hundreds of times each day, mercy will begin to take root in me and
flow out of me. One can only hope.
O Lord Jesus, please make me
more like you. Have mercy on me, that I
might have mercy on all who cross my path.
Prayer
Closing
Prayer: Lord Jesus, please make me more like you. Have mercy on me, that I might give mercy to
others.
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