March 3, 2010 - James 2:13 "Mercy"

"For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment."

The Bible is full of mercy. Over and over and over again, God is shown to be merciful. He says it Himself: "I will be merciful on whom I will be merciful." Jesus talks more about mercy than He does about sex, and even more than He talks about money.

In my Catholic Women's Study Bible I came across a devotion that speaks to this. It begins with three prayers, one for works, one for words, and one for prayer. It ends with this:

"You yourself command me to exercise the three degrees of mercy. The first: the act of mercy, of whatever kind. The second: the word of mercy - if I cannot carry out a work of mercy, I will assist by my words. The third prayer - if I cannot show mercy by deeds or words, I can always do so by prayer. My prayer reaches out even there where I cannot reach out physically. O my Jesus, trasnform me into yourself, for you can do all things."

Works or deeds of mercy need not be large, though they certainly can be. Chip's rescue of a baby duck who was trapped away from its mother was an act of mercy. Running into a burning building to save a child is an act of mercy. Saying a kind word to a co-worker who is going through a rough patch is an act of mercy. Keeping your promises to a relative who is struggling can be an act of mercy. Buying the bum on the streetcorner a meal can be an act of mercy.

Mercy shows no boundaries, and no act of mercy is a small one. The lady who gave me bus fare when I was a teenager out looking for a job showed me an act of mercy I have never forgotten, even after almost fifty years. We never know, sometimes, this side of Glory, just what effect our small act of mercy may have on a person's life. And sometimes we are merciful to those whom we know will not appreciate it, and may even abuse our kindness. But we are merciful anyway, because God is merciful, and it is required of us, as God's children, to be His emmisarries.

But sometimes, we can't be there. We can't rush to Haiti to help. We can't hop on a plane and go to Chile. Heck, we couldn't even get to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina! So we donate to the Red Cross. We pitch in at the local food bank. We write letters to the editor. We write blogs.

And thirdly, we pray. Prayer is something we all can do. If we can't get out of the house, we can always pray. When we feel small and helpless and totally without power, we can pray. When our hearts break for those in need or peril, we can pray. And of the three degrees of mercy, perhaps prayer is the most powerful. In prayer, we put others first. There is a certain pride that goes with the first two. Hands-on-helping - we're proud of ourselves for having helped. We're proud of having written something that helped somebody or that someone found meaningful.

But prayer is between you and God. Nobody knows what you say to God or what God says to you, unless you tell them. Even when you don't know what to pray, or even if you pray wrongly, God knows your heart. You can't be prideful when you're on your knees in true humility. When you're truly in communication with God, there is nothing else. When it's just you and God, that's where true mercy kicks in.

Lord, help me be merciful today. Rid my heart of lingering bitterness and anger. Let me be Your hands, Your feet, Your heart today. In Jesus' Name, I pray...Amen