Living Mercy

Wednesday Wisdom: Living Mercy.

In Hebrew, the word for mercy is hesed, which has many more nuances than it does in English. It can be translated as tender love, loving kindness, steadfast love, and loving compassion.

Lately, I’ve been feeling so much grief over my elderly mother now being in a wheelchair, and moving into assisted living after falling in her house, that my heart is longing for mercy, for my mother, for my family, for myself, and for all those in similar situations.

Finding time to be quiet, and connect with mercy as tender love, loving kindness, steadfast love and loving compassion can be extremely grounding during a time of loss and change, during a time when we feel disoriented and uprooted. As we allow ourselves to settle within, we open our hearts and receive all that God is offering us. “For His mercy endures forever.”

• Can we weep and fill ourselves with God’s tender love?
• How do we need God’s steadfast love and compassion to give us strength right now in our lives?

And the more we allow God’s mercy to touch us, the more we can share it with our families, with our communities, and the world at large. As the blind man, begging near Jericho,  proclaims in the gospel, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me,” we too must have the courage and trust to call out for mercy. With abandoned hearts, let us not be afraid to weep before God, and cry out.

Reflection: Here’s a lovely quote by Pope Francis to pray with today:

Divine Mercy, Unfailing Love

The Second Sunday of Easter is also known as “Divine Mercy Sunday.” What a beautiful truth of faith this is for our lives: the mercy of God! God’s love for us is so great, so deep; it is an unfailing love, one which always takes us by the hand and supports us, lifts us up, and leads us on.

–from the book A Year of Mercy: Inspiring Words fro Pope Francis, edited by Diane M. Houdek