moral misery calls for mercy

Mercy is therefore more than pity,which latter implies a distance between the man who suffers and him who pities; it supposes a true compassion, the actual sharing of our brothers' miseries, of their material distresses as well as their moral weaknesses. It seems, however, that it is principally these latter which are the object of our Beatitude, for the mercy which we ought to show to others is here put into relation with that which we expect from the sovereign Judge and which shall be shown in regard to our sins. As a result of this, Jesus commands us to love our guilty brethren, although in such a case we may be tempted to limit the obligation of charity and consider this limitation as excusable, if not legitimate.

 

At first sight we steer clear of people who have fallen into misery as a result of their own laziness, their foolish dissipations, or their misconduct. To come to the help of a drunkard or a gambler, is not that the same thing as to encourage their vice? All our pity goes out to the wife or the beaten children, but does the culprit who struck them, and who cannot find work anymore because of his violent reputation, deserve our sympathy?

 

'Is this guilty man, this fallen soul, unhappy?' Jesus asks us. That is enough to make him worth your interest. Try, of course, to protect him from his evil passions, but the moment he suffers, be merciful. 'Thou shalt love thy neighbour,' not when he deserves it, but because he is your neighbour.

 

At other times, one of our brothers offends us. Justice demands that the guilty party repent; but mercy requires the offended person to forgive him sincerely, even if the other does not show any signs of regret for his fault, or refuses the reconciliation which is offered him. A Christian harbours a grudge against no one. 'Lord, how often must I see my brother do me wrong, and still forgive him; as much as seven times?' Simon Peter asked Jesus, thinking that he was being very generous in his estimate. And the Master said in reply to his apostle, 'I tell thee to forgive, not seven wrongs, but seventy times seven'. The hyperbole here is obvious, the Lord's wish also. He does not tolerate a limit after which self-love and innocence are free to claim their rights. All moral misery, whatever it is, calls on the mercy of the Christian.