15 June 2017 - mercy shining

Today's Readings

But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother
will be liable to judgment,
and whoever says to his brother,
Raqa, will be answerable to the Sanhedrin,
and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna.

Jesus wants to change our hearts at a deep level. It is not enough to simply not kill. We must let Jesus uproot the problems in our own hearts that make us want to kill. Holding on to anger or unforgiveness can keep us from God's presence. He tells us to let go and to go reconcile. We are free to do so. But often we don't want to. We don't want to take the initiative to go to heal the relationship when, in our mind, it is our brother that has something against us rather than we against them. Yet it is precisely this active love that is willing to take the initiative by which God changes us from people who merely don't kill into people who don't even mumble 'You fool' or Raqa under our breath.

Everything God gives us is mercy. He calls us to be merciful to others especially because he is first merciful to us. It is this mercy that unveils what mercy looks like. It transforms us and makes it possible for us to show the mercy we first receive.

All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord,
are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory,
as from the Lord who is the Spirit.

God shows us what this mercy looks like and pours it out upon us. Is it any wonder that refusing to show mercy and insisting on holding unforgiveness can keep us from his presence? It is exactly the parable of the man who is forgiven his unpayable debt who then refuses to forgive those who owe him much less.

For God who said, Let light shine out of darkness,
has shone in our hearts to bring to light
the knowledge of the glory of God
on the face of Jesus Christ.

Let's allow God to shine on us and in us and through us today. Let us receive and share his mercy and forgiveness. He offers us grace to let go of any unforgiveness to which we cling.

Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.