Mercy
It’s easy to be good to people who are good to us.
It’s so natural to be good to people who are good to us that it’s expected. It’s just assumed that’s what we’ll do. To the point that we instinctively call out someone who isn’t good to people who are good to them.
“She couldn’t have been kinder to you and look what you did to her!” “That’s how you thank him? After all he’s done for you?”
It makes perfect sense. We should be good to people who are good to us. But there’s a subtle danger in all of this.
That – without really thinking about it – we’ll drift into only being good to people, if we’re getting something out of it. That we’ll be good to people, but only because we want something from them.
That we’ll treat them like vending machines.
BTW, if you’re looking for a way to isolate yourself, to cut yourself off from both people and God? This works. All too well.
It’s the point that Jesus is making in today’s Gospel. When He says, “If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”
So what does it mean? It’s from the Old Testament. Referring to a transaction system. Where if you wanted something from God, you made a sacrifice.
God is trying to tell people that’s not the relationship He wants to have with them. As their insert-sacrifice-get-stuff vending machine.
You want to have a real relationship with God? Start with the right foundation for that relationship. Start with mercy.
Understand that mercy is unearned. Mercy is not about merit. Or who deserves it. Mercy is a gift.
God doesn’t need anything. So, if we’re going to give mercy, we’re going to have to give mercy to someone else.
Someone who hasn’t earned it. Someone who doesn’t deserve it.
Otherwise, it isn’t mercy.
Here’s the odd thing about mercy. When we give mercy to someone else, we start to see ourselves in them. We see how much we take for granted.
What we think of as ours, what we think we deserve? It’s really just God’s mercy poured out on us.
Understanding that we don’t deserve any of it? It’s the only way to lose the vending machine mindset.
And the only sure foundation for a real relationship – with God or anyone else.
Today’s Readings
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"My side of the story doesn't matter anymore. Life happened, it hurt, I healed, but most importantly I learned who deserves a seat at my table and who will never sit at it again."
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The moment you go from ‘why didn’t you love/protect/believe me?’ To ‘you know what, I deserved better, f*ck you’ . . . that moment is f*cking magic. You’d better believe anger has an ESSENTIAL role in recovery.
— Dr. Glenn Patrick Doyle, @DrDoyleSays, August 8, 2022 (via Alive on All Channels)
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