Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy

In 1981, Pope John Paul II came to Anchorage. For the head of the Roman Catholic Church to come to Anchorage was a big deal. For me it became an even bigger deal when Archbishop Hurley invited me to be a part of a highly selective group of clergy for a special meeting with the pope.

I did not know at the time that the Pope, in November 1980, had issued an encyclical titled “Rich in Mercy.” The message that he gave to the clergy gathering was directly out of that encyclical. The Pope instructed us in the meaning of mercy and gave a plea for us to put it into practice. It was delivered in English with a very heavy Polish accent. His pronunciation of the word mercy still rings in my mind even though I have not been able to duplicate the sound.

This profoundly kind man made the case that the world is in trouble because there is so little mercy. He reminded us that we as ministers, priests, nuns and other religious leaders are guardians of mercy. No one else plays this role. If we, as special people in our world, do not abundantly share mercy and the message of mercy, there will be no mercy in the world.

His simple definition of mercy is recorded in his encyclical: Mercy is love’s second name.

The study of significant Bible words is a great and fascinating game. Mercy is near the top of the heap to study.

When Jesus spoke the words “blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy,” he was not raising a new topic. Mercy is a theme that reaches deep into Old Testament history. Micah was a young country prophet and was probably a contemporary of the prophet Isaiah in the eighth century B.C. Micah observed that Israelite leaders had become selfishly wealthy, dishonest in their dealings and yet meticulous in keeping the laws set down by their religious leaders.

In a spirit of despair, Micah cried out, “And what does the Lord require of us but to do justice, love mercy and to walk humbly with our God?” The Hebrew word here translated as “mercy” is often times translated “kindness.” Mercy always was a key part of the lesser tradition found in the Old Testament.

Many people today confuse mercy and forgiveness. It is true that mercy often takes on the form of forgiveness, but forgiveness is a legal term. Mercy is an expression of compassion that has no necessary relationship to forgiveness. Mercy is at the heart of a way of life.

The Pope said, “Mercy is love’s second name,” and I would observe that love, mercy and kindness are triplets in the same household. Today the word love has been corrupted by sexual meanings, but the corruption goes away when we insist that kindness and mercy be love’s siblings.

The depth of the meaning of mercy is found in its application to the most difficult circumstances of life — again from Pope John Paul II. Mercy is love expressed to a needy person.

Now comes the hard part. Jesus did not simply say, “Blessed are the merciful.” He added, “for they shall obtain mercy.” An essential part of the Christ message is the consequential nature of life. People reap what they sow. The judgment given is the judgment received. For a people to enjoy the blessings of mercy, mercy must be practiced. If we do not practice mercy, inevitably we suffer the consequences.

I love the church. I grew up in a church. I learned from churches. Church institutions generously educated me. Churches have given me great opportunities to be one of the messengers of mercy. With love, kindness and mercy I must say that our churches and ministers of the gospel have neglected the teaching and practice of mercy.

Hatred, arrogance and selfishness are killing our spirits and corrupting our quality of life. The advice of Pope John Paul II was that we ought not to be engrossed with analysis of the causes; rather, to be totally committed to the anecdote called mercy.

It was good advice in 1981 and it is good advice in 2007.

The Rev. Howard Bess is pastor of Church of the Covenant, an American Baptist church in Palmer. Contact him at hdbss@mtaonline.net.