Mathew 12:7 (portion of verse)
"I desire mercy not sacrifice."
How can I be more merciful?
Let me offer three pathways.
1. Reflect on moments of mercy in your life. Who extended that mercy? Was it someone in your family? Was it Jesus in your prayer or the sacrament of reconciliation? Savor the moments.
2. Meditate on passages of mercy in the Scriptures. Which moments of mercy in the Bible touch your heart the most? Hear God say those words to you.
3. Reflect on contemporary stories of mercy. Dom Christian de Cherge was a Trappist monk who lived in Algiers from 1971-96. I often ponder the goodbye letter he wrote knowing that one day extremists would most likely take his life and the lives of his brother monks. In the last few lines of his letter, he writes,
"And also you, my last-minute friend, who will not have known what you were doing:
Yes, I want this THANK YOU and this GOODBYE to be a "GOD BLESS" for you, too, because in God's face I see yours.
May we meet again as happy thieves in Paradise, if it please God, the Father of us both."
Pray from your heart in these ways and God will bless you with mercy for others.
Get to know our writers! Today's reflection was written by:
Fr. Mike Muhr
Did You Know...
Fr. Michael Muhr is Director of Ministry to Priests and temporary parochial administrator at St. Brendan's Catholic Church in Clearwater. Fr. Muhr served as a spiritual director and co-taught courses in pastoral ministry for 14 years at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, Florida.
