Blessed are the Merciful

Blessed are the Merciful

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.”[1]

This saying is another of the Beatitudes that has no obvious parallel in Luke’s Blessings and Woes. That those who are merciful will receive mercy may seem obvious to most, but not necessarily to the merciful. Acts of mercy often seem to go unrewarded, and it is reasonable to assume if someone is performing an act of mercy to someone in need they should not expect anything in return anyway. Even a recent saint of mercy like Mother Teresa, however, is reported to have spent much of her adult life despairing that she did not feel God’s nearness, even as she devoted her life to showing tireless mercy to those in desperate need. As such, she does not seem to be a poster child for this particular Beatitude. Isn’t the degree to which we are generous of heart by showing mercy decreased by even the expectation of receiving a personal reward in return? Sometimes I wonder if even claiming charitable deductions on our tax returns lessens the value of our merciful support to charitable causes because we are partially compensated (by a reduction in taxes paid) for our generosity. But surely Mother Teresa deserved something.

Acts of mercy are things we do to meet the immediate needs of others. Feeding someone who is hungry is an act of mercy. Visiting someone who is lonely is an act of mercy, as is providing a coat to someone without one. This is contrasted with works of justice that are directed at more deeply rooted problems, usually buried within social systems. Rooting out and correcting the social structures that leave some people homeless or without enough to eat is the work of justice. Both mercy and justice are vitally important. Resolving the causes of  world hunger is a great and important cause, but it does not feed the people who are hungry now. Feeding people who are hungry today does nothing to feed people who will be hungry in a month, year, or decade.

The Old Testament prophet, Micah, recognized the critical importance of both mercy and justice, writing “…what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness (mercy), and to walk humbly with your God.”[2] People in need most often lack some combination of mercy and justice. Works of mercy deal with today’s needs; works of justice deal with the needs of tomorrow. And biblical guidance encourages us to work for both.

In this Beatitude, however, Jesus is speaking about mercy. He says those who are merciful will receive mercy. It seems to me he is providing a restatement of the law of sowing and reaping – that we reap what we sow. If we sow mercy, we reap mercy. If we care for others, others will care for us. It sounds lovely and just, but in reality it does not always seem to happen that way., as was evident with the example of Mother Teresa. Nursing homes are full of elderly folks who spent their lives raising children and grandchildren and being good co-workers and neighbors but spend their final years desperately lonely. Some might feel this Beatitude should read, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will die alone in a care facility when they’re older.”

Granted, that is a dismally, sarcastic conclusion, but I feel like I witness it every time I go to visit my father-in-law at his care facility. He was a farmer and was well-known for generously helping his neighbors whenever they needed assistance. Today, his physical needs for food and shelter are being met, but his social and emotional unmet needs make his current existence seem far from merciful. True, what he desires is either death or to be back home on the farm, and anything short of that is going to be disappointing for him. But he is physically incapable of living on his own. It is not that he does not receive numerous visitors most days because he does. He and his dog, Brewster, are among the more popular residents. But his final months on earth are far from merciful, at least in his experience, and at least as it appears to me on the outside looking in. He was a merciful man, but is he receiving mercy now? More next week.

This is the 13^thin a series titled Blessedness and Woe.Life Notes are my explorations into mysteries that interest me. They are invitations for readers to explore more deeply into life’s mysteries. Engage with me or explore contemplative spiritual direction at ghildenbrand@outlook.com.

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[1] Matthew 5:7

[2] Micah 6:8