Practice Mercy

 

Lenten Reflection #10

“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” – Luke 6:36

Since I started this Lenten Reflection series, I would ask Jesus every morning what face He wants to show me today. What must people know about Him? Today, through the mass, He showed me the Face of Mercy:

Newton’s Law of Motion: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Viktor Frankl: Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response.

Fr. Dave Concepcion: We are not mere atoms, we are human beings and  that gap (between action and reaction) is called the capacity to respond in grace. Grace is enjoying the gifts we do not deserve, and mercy is being spared from the punishment we deserve.

This Lent, Jesus wants us to practice mercy. “Practice mercy” – these words struck me as I typed them. Being merciful does not come to me, and I suppose to many other people, easily. Like anything difficult, or anything we want to be perfect in, we need to practice. Another thing we have to remember is we can’t always get it right in the beginning. But if we keep doing it then it becomes a part of our system. This season is a good time to practice mercy so we can practice mercy as the Father does.

References:      Mass Homily for today – Fr. Dave Concepcion