The Beatitudes, Part 5: How to Practice Mercy in a Hurting World

Jesus' Wisdom in Beatitude #5

"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." Matthew 5:7

"Mercy cannot come to others unless there is a change in me, unless I acknowledge my need of God, unless I mourn over my sins, unless I am meek and have a true estimation of myself, and unless I am hungry or God, and am filled by Him." Raoul Comninos from a sermon on the Beatitudes

Mercy

The Roman Stoics called mercy a sickness of the soul. They saw it as a weakness. The Greek word eleos means "kindness or concern expressed for someone in need."

Mercy sees someone else's pain, feels their hurt, and shares their emotions. They feel compassion, and they do something about it. Mercy takes action. Merciful people give food to the hungry, comfort to the grieving, love to the rejected, forgiveness to the offender, and companionship to the lonely. Mercy shows the love of Jesus.

I want to be a person of mercy. This is the Beatitude where I have most keenly felt the Spirit of God's conviction. I often wish to be half as merciful as my wife, Tamara. The moment she hears someone has been in the hospital, she prays for them and offers to bring them a meal. I could not count the number of hurting people she has visited in their homes, hospital, and rehabilitation centers. She remembers their children and the details of their illnesses or surgery. Of course, Jesus was the most merciful person. We need to be more like Jesus in the frequency and extent to which he showed mercy. When we know our need for mercy and experience God's mercy poured on us, we can show it to others.

What about you? How do you show mercy, especially when striving for business success, when you are in a hurry as a customer, when the other person makes a mistake or does something you think is stupid? The next Beatitude is equally challenging.