Gift of Mercy

 

Third Sunday in Advent – the time is flying by this Advent season!  Then again, I say that every Advent season!  As we continue our journey of some of the gifts Jesus brought to us, we certainly can’ t continue on that journey without stopping at mercy!  Mercy and grace always used to be ones that would cause me confusion.  Then I saw this simple explanation:

    Mercy is NOT getting something you deserve.   Grace is getting something you DON’T deserve.

When it comes to people in my life, I am grateful that there have been situations where they have shown me mercy.  Growing up, although I KNOW I did not look at it in such gratefulness at the time, I am certain my parents showed me mercy for not giving me something I so deeply deserved – like a punishment for something I did wrong.  Moving forward, there have also been times when I have been granted mercy with my spouse, my children, friends, and coworkers.  In all those cases, where I have not conducted myself in the way I should, there has been forgiveness and mercy.  I am so grateful for that.

There are also times when we should show mercy on ourselves.  Yes, looking in the mirror for mercy can be healing.  We may carry with us a sin (or many sins), that we cannot seem to shake.  We hold onto them, and they reside like boulders on our shoulders.  Having mercy upon ourselves provides us freedom from those sins and helps us to walk a bit more upright in forgiveness!

Forgiveness is at the heart of mercy and is certainly at the heart of Jesus.  He not only came to earth knowing He would die for our sins, but to take away our own punishment that we deserved.  He showed us, and continues to show us, mercy every day.  Look at your day – how many times does Jesus bestow mercy on you?  With my day it is too numerous to count.  Jesus provides me mercy in each situation – not just the small ones!  I deserve eternal damnation for the sins in my life, but Jesus freely gives the gift of forgiveness and shows me mercy in every case. 

It is hard to forgive or have mercy on another when they have done something wrong – especially against you!  Our natural tendency is to fight back with an “I’ll show them” attitude, providing some sort of punishment.   Maybe you have been harboring that for exceedingly long with a particular individual.  This Advent season let us look deep in our souls and provide another the gift of mercy – not giving them the cold shoulder or working hard to make their life miserable.  Free not only them, but yourself, and provide mercy.  Jesus gave gifts so that we could give those gifts to others.  It is time for us to give Jesus a reason to say, “Job well done my faithful servant.”  Give Mercy!

Dearest Jesus, thank you for your gift of mercy.  We certainly deserve eternal damnation for all we have done.  Yet, you show us mercy instead – forgiving our sins and not punishing us with hell for the sins we commit.  May we also have mercy on ourselves and others to continue the gift of mercy here on earth!  Amen.