Mercy is God’s Name: Let us Reciprocate His Mercy
Wisdom 12:13, 16-19; Romans 8:26-27; Matthew 13:24-43
There was a fiery preacher who was preaching on today’s gospel, and the theme of his homily was “Hell Fire!” As he emphasized on the fact that sinners will burn in “Hell,” he explained the ordeals of Hell: “you see,” he said, “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth for those who go to Hell”. Right in front of him, in the front pew, an old lady burst out laughing. The preacher stopped momentarily and asked the old lady the cause of her laughter. She responded, pointing at her mouth – “Mr. Preacher, the grinding and gnashing of teeth in Hell excludes me; see, I have no teeth!” The preacher responded: “old lady, on that day, teeth will be provided for you”.
The gospel of today is both intimidating and depressing, because of the mention of Hell! Who can be saved, one may ask? But our consolation and hope of avoiding Hell are offered in the “Lord’s Prayer,” especially where we make this promise to God—“Forgive us our debts as we forgive those who are in debts to us” (Matthew 6:12)—this is the summary of the readings of today: the power of reciprocal mercy! “Mercy” is another name for God, the weapon of the sinner. Showing mercy to others is our contract with God, in order to avoid Hell.
Today, our first reading is taken from the book of Wisdom, as if to say that “wisdom” is what you and I need to avoid Hell, because it teaches us the depth and personality of God—MERCY. The book of Wisdom presents four attributes of God for our consideration: there is only One God (monotheism), who is knowledgeable (All Knowing), just (Justice) and lenient/clement (Forgiveness) to his creatures. Human beings are fearful of God’s justice, but wisdom makes us remember God’s clemency and leniency. Hell and condemnation demonstrate the power of God, but God’s mastery of his creatures makes him dispense his forgiveness with largesse. By rebuking the sinner, God provides the first step towards the showing of mercy to his creatures.
The following words, from our first reading, are comforting: “And you taught your people, by these deeds, that those who are just must be kind; and you gave your children good ground for hope that you would permit repentance for their sins (Wisdom 12:19). In other words, it is only by imitating God’s show of justice as compassion, power as forgiveness, that we can hope for the forgiveness of our own sins and the avoidance of Hell. In this connection, deeds take precedence over knowledge and words. The “wisdom of God” is the sharing in the attributes of God—mercy, forgiveness and kindness. It is as if, when we imitate God, then we shall be where God is—Heaven. On the contrary, when we imitate the Devil, by disregarding mercy, kindness and forgiveness, we make ourselves candidates for Hell, and should rightly be afraid of Hell.
Our second reading reminds us of the promise of Jesus, before he ascended into Heaven: “I will send your the INTERCESSOR, THE HOLY SPIRIT” (John 14:16-17, 26). Holy Spirit, the power and presence of God within us, brings “wisdom” a step closer to each one of us, because he is God’s presence in us. The Holy Spirit’s presence within us is already a guarantee that we were not created for Hell, but for Heaven. God’s Holy Spirit dwelling in us is a force for good and opposition to evil, that is why he “intercedes” on our behalf before God: “the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groaning. And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the holy ones according to God’s will” (Romans 8:26-27). The strength we have to do good comes from God, our hope of living with him forever. So, we do have a choice between Hell and Heaven, by the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. If our choice is reciprocal mercy—the show of mercy to other human beings as God pardons our sins—then Heaven is already ours.
The parable of today’s gospel demonstrates the freedom of the children of God as well as the opportunity they have to show mercy to others. The fact that the good, the bad and the ugly co-exist, “parabolized” with the imagery of the “weeds” and the “wheat,” indicates the confidence God reposes in each one of us to be able to do good and make Heaven and avoid Hell. The question is whether we consider ourselves worthy of such trust. The temptations and challenges of life are no signs of God’s hatred; rather, they are opportunities for the vaccination of the Holy Spirit, dwelling in us, to combat alongside us in our earthly struggles. Even a vaccine becomes redundant when we fail to reinforce it by periodical updates, toppings and frequent shots. Like our annual flu shots, some vaccines need reinvigoration—our daily practices of mercy and kindness are our immunization against sin and Hell.
Will you and I proof ourselves worthy of God’s trust, that we are capable of doing good? Will God’s investment of his Holy Spirit dwelling in us be in vain because we failed to take advantage of Holy Spirit’s presence in us helping us to do God’s will and avoid sin? If all we do is to notice the problem of sin and evil around us, without acknowledging the remedies for sin among us, then we fail to be like God, who, from generation to generation, keeps offering opportunities to humanity for repentance! Even in the midst of a pandemic, our scientists keep struggling to find a vaccine and doctors, nurses and care-givers refuse to fold their arms in resignation and defeat, but keep the fight and the pressure on Covid-19: what more of the sons and daughters of God against the scourge of sin and the resurgences of temptation, shall we stop struggling?
That we are still alive today shows God’s patience with sinners that we are; it is also a lesson for us in patience with ourselves and others, whom we think are too slow to repent and do good. Everyday is an opportunity to repent and do good. It is never over, until it is over. No one has the right to give up for whatever reason, because God has refused to give up on us!
Assignment for the Week:
Kindly prayer the Divine Mercy this week to remind yourself of God’s mercy.