Mercy is the image of God’s love made visible through a human being.
A merciful heart is not one that fails to see faults, but one that looks upon faults with sorrow and a desire for healing, not with the pleasure of condemnation. God did not look upon us in our fall with contempt, but with a love that came to raise us up.
Often we are harsh toward others for things we easily forgive in ourselves. We see our neighbor’s wounds but forget our own. Mercy begins when a person remembers that he himself lives only through God’s mercy.
To be merciful does not mean calling evil good or removing the power of truth. It means speaking the truth with a heart that desires the salvation of the other person, not his defeat. Christ did not come to crush the fallen, but to lift them up.
Make room in your heart for the weaknesses of others. Sometimes a gentle word heals a wound that a harsh rebuke would deepen. Sometimes a silent prayer for the one who has hurt you is a greater work than many words about love.
Remember that you too will need mercy. The measure you receive will be connected to the measure you have given. A merciful heart becomes like the heart of God, because God Himself is the source of mercy.
“Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.” (Luke 6:36)
