Works of Mercy challenge No.2

Here it is another beautiful Monday morning and our challenge this week comes to us from the Spriritual Works of Mercy:
-Forgive wrong willingly
-bear wrongs patiently

Easy right? Hardly! If these were so easy, the world would be a much nicer place, agreed?

Let’s roll up our sleeves and re-approach this challenge with open minds. What are we really saying here? How on Earth can we learn to forgive wrongs willingly? This goes against every grain of our humanity. When we are hurt our bodies make a mental note to avoid this situation forever more. It makes sense, doesn’t it? Physical or emotional pain=bad. Bear wrongs patiently? Are you kidding me? Who wants to do that? “Run!” our minds tell us, ”run away from this person and don’t ever look back!”

Now we’re being honest about what makes these two so difficult.

So what makes these Acts of Mercy anyway?

Think about how you feel when you have injured someone and realize you were in the wrong- embarrassment with dread nipping on its heels. If we are fortunate enough to have learned how to sincerely apologize we can still find this process humiliating especially if the other replies with a stinging “You should be!” As we are apologizing we are hoping, maybe even praying, that the other will be merciful and make it easy for us.

Yes, for most of us, apologizing is not something we relish because in doing so we admit to ourselves and others that we were wrong and we’d all rather pretend we’re perfect!

There are ways around apologizing though, aren’t there? Take the sweep it under the rug method for example. This is where the strongest character in a relationship or family usually makes a scene while everyone else is frozen with noticeable discomfort and pretends not to notice. This method does not encourage contrition or absolution.

In fact, you can walk in and feel this method’s its icy grip on a room. You know when everyone is smiling enthusiastically but no one really knows where anyone works, or what anyone’s birthday is. You’ve seen it when you’re in a room where they only see each other at Christmas or Easter but only out of some almost unbearable obligation. Avoidance, rather than forgiveness rules these relationships.

I’m willing to bet that if we each thought for a moment, we could come up with at least one person, probably more, we know that hasn’t talked to a family member for at least a decade because of some reason they probably can’t remember anymore.

What do we gain in clinging white-knuckled to wrongs done us? The superiority complex makes a lonely residence! Anger and hurt are spiritual abysses that are all-consuming. You may be thinking, “I could never forgive them, they hurt me too badly!” However, if you are honest with yourself you’ll realize you CAN’T not forgive because this behavior is contrary to Our Father’s will. Even the Pope John Paul II forgave the man who tried to kill him. Surely we can forgive also!


Here is why we MUST forgive and bear wrongs patiently:

Our Father is not asking us to become best friends with our nemesis, but to honestly, truly, and completely forgive and move on. When we forgive wrong willingly and bear wrongs patiently we are offering the mercy to others that God gives us every time we sin. He is asking that we follow His example.

To offer us Mercy, Our Lord first condescended himself to become human. In addition, His suffering and death offer us countless demonstrations of humility.

Our Lord specifically told St. Faustina to let His mercy flow through us to others :

“I demand from you deeds of mercy which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse yourself from it I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor:
the first — by deed, the second — by word, the third — by prayer“(Diary, 742).

Our Father demands that we live His mercy, not just sit back and enjoy it.