In today’s Gospel Jesus calls us to act like or imitate God. “Be merciful, just as also your Father is merciful.” Jesus goes on to teach that we need to “stop judging…and stop condemning.” We religious people can be self-righteous at times and even a bit hypocritical when we are quick to judge, condemn and exclude. Jesus quite simply tells us to stop it! God alone is the one to judge and condemn and thank God because our heavenly Father is merciful and compassionate. Paul puts it this way:
“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ (by grace you have been saved), raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 4:4-7).
Like God, Jesus wants us to be “rich in mercy” and filled with “great love.” God’s love is a gift or grace as is salvation as Paul emphasizes, “by grace you have been saved.” Jesus wants us to live as grateful and grace-filled people. As gifted and graced people we want to share these gifts with all that we meet by showing mercy to one another.
Jesus teaches us to “stop judging…stop condemning” because we never truly know what is in someone’s heart. They may appear outwardly to be a non-believer, but God sees deeper than outward appearances as we hear in the Eucharistic Prayers:
“Remember also those who have died in the peace of your Christ and all the dead, whose faith you alone have known.” (Eucharistic Prayer IV and Eucharistic Prayer For Various Needs IV).
Some who are not professed Christian show their faith by their deeds and their faith is known to God alone. Faith is not only professing that I believe in God, Jesus, and the holy Spirit but also that I recognize Jesus in the hungry, thirty, naked stranger, immigrant, sick, and imprisoned. Jesus teaches that this is the criterion of our judgment:
“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me…Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:35-40).
Let us give thanks to God today for his gift of mercy and love and let us stive to be merciful as our heavenly Father is merciful.
Image: “IMG_2550HA Jacob Jordaens 1593-1678. Jésus instruisant Nicodème. Jesus instructing Nicodemus. Bruxelles.” by jean louis mazieres is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.