Be the balm of mercy

How much I desire that this “year” be steeped in mercy, so that we can go out to every person, bringing the tenderness of God! May the balm of mercy reach everyone as a sign that God’s reign is already present in our midst!” These words from Pope Francis’ document Misericordiae Vultus — Latin, meaning, “the face of mercy” — inaugurate the so-called “Jubilee of Mercy” that begins December 8, and concludes November 20, 2016.

Just as the UNO has special “years”, the Church assigns special “jubilee years” when believers are exhorted to reflect upon and respond to a specific aspect of faith. By fixing the spotlight on mercy, Pope Francis, in picturesque prose, wants Christians to be the balm of mercy, the oil of consolation, the medicine of mercy, oases of compassion, channels of forgiveness and images of God’s love. Characteristic of him, while addressing Christians, he also proposes mercy as a universal means of mirroring God’s love.

Love, mercy, forgiveness, compassion — are virtues treasured by everyone. Pope Francis first observes about Islam: “Among the privileged names that Islam attributes to the Creator are ‘Merciful and Kind’. This invocation is often on the lips of Muslims who feel sustained by mercy in their daily life.” He then adds: “I trust that this jubilee year celebrating God’s mercy will foster encounters with all religious traditions; may it open us to even more fervent dialogue so that we might know and understand one another better; may it eliminate every form of closed-mindedness and disrespect, and drive out every form of violence and discrimination.”

Mercy is compassion translated into concrete action. It is a gut-level, heartfelt, visceral feeling of empathy towards the sick and the suffering, which engenders decisive actions to respond to sickness and suffering.

The epitome of mercy in Jesus’ parables is the “Good Samaritan”, who sees a stranger — beaten up and bruised — and spares no effort to help and heal him.

“Be merciful just as your heavenly Father is merciful,” says Jesus. When one is merciful, one becomes God-like, because, as it’s often said, “To err is human, to forgive, divine!” Mercy has two dimensions: spiritual and temporal. In the spiritual-moral sphere, since God is merciful, we too ought to be non-judgmental and forgiving. At the temporal realm, since God’s mercy leads to God providing for the poor and needy, we too could be god-like in caring for, loving and serving others.

Buddhism is strong in its teachings on daya and karuna. Similarly, the Rigvedic use of the verb “day dayate” implies to divide, share, distribute, partake, which is close to the original meaning of “bhakti”. May we all be godly by being the balm of mercy to our wounded world!

Francis Gonsalves is a professor of theology. He can be contacted at fragons@gmail.com