Holy Spirit of God, teach me to be full of mercy, as you are merciful…

 
Luke 6:36-38
www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%206%3A36-38&version=RSVCE
 
What am I full of?  Affected as I am (like all of humanity) by the disease of sin, at any given time my heart is almost full of a concoction of pride, guilt, wantonness, guilt, resentment – and judgement and condemnation. Maybe I am fixated on ‘my’ plans, projects and possessions; perhaps I am ruminating on a broken or bothersome relationship; or maybe my focus is gripped by what’s not ‘right’ in my household. So many cares and worries of this world, and all the judgements and condemnation that accompany them, so quickly fill up my heart and mind. How can I be full of the Mercy of God? Firstly, I can forgive – my brother, my sister, and myself.  I can extend the two hands of forgiveness (c.f. Matthew and Dennis Linn’s book, Don’t Forgive Too Soon). With the one open hand I can acknowledge that there are natural consequences for sin. I don’t need to author those consequences – they occur when (God’s) boundaries are applied. With the other open hand, I can freely admit that I too am a wrong doer and fall short of the glory of God – and that I can freely give out God’s mercy from a carefully cultivated and tended ‘garden of mercy’ in my own heart. Secondly, Jesus teaches, we must give Mercy – the more it is given, the more there is.  True, I can’t give away mercy if I haven’t received God’s merciful forgiveness and healing for my own errors and omissions. But as much as humbly, honestly and genuinely repent of my own ‘trespasses’, and so  incorporate the Mercy of God into my own heart, that much I can extend holy light, love, laughter and life to others around me.  What am I full of today? What will I be giving those around me as this day unfolds? Holy Spirit of God, teach me to be full of mercy, as you are merciful.     .
 
The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul… the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. (Psalm 19: 7,8)
 
If you judge people, you have no time to love… Be kind and merciful. Let no one ever come to you without coming away better and happier.
Saint Mother Teresa
 
Soli ad gloriam Dei
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