I hope you heard what I just wrote…Because its on “the final exam”

Today at Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Luke a man asking Jesus an important question…A question asked to this very day by many….."Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”…..To sum up the exchange that took place after this question was asked ….”He answered, "The one who treated him with mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise.”……Why is mercy such an important aspect of the Christian life? - Because each of us are sinners and because of that reality - In order to “get where we all want to go” - We need God to be merciful to us….So what does that mean for us in the here and now?…It means we too must be merciful to each other……In the one and only prayer Jesus left us - The Our Father - He clearly states…”Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”…..Mercy is not something that is deserved - Its an unmerited gift - It is also something required if we want to enter into eternal life……Justice alone would be intolerable without mercy to temper it…..What is it that keeps us from giving mercy to others?…The great French Carthusian monk Dom Augustin Guillerand (1945) tells us….”In order to be touched by the suffering of others, we must first of all overcome our own self-love and take our passions in hand……Sacrifice and renunciation allows us to give ourselves to God…..It is not necessary that our reproduction of Jesus should be perfect today, nor even tomorrow….It is only necessary that we should tend towards that perfection, that we should never give up striving and wanting to strive”……If we expect God to be merciful to us…And I know we all do…We must show mercy to others…..This is on “the final exam”! - So for those who have ears - Let them hear

“I give you a new commandment: love one another as I have loved you”

In your life has anyone shown you mercy when you did not deserve to receive it?…..When you were “dead to rights” guilty?…..And if so, how did you respond?…..Years ago when I was a senior in High School, I had an elderly nun as a History teacher….During our mid-term exam, I orchestrated a cheating scheme that involved many people….In the end, the scheme was revealed…The nun who taught our class was deeply embarrassed and hurt by the classes actions….And I had to “face the music”….The administration KNEW it was me…..And I lied straight to their face to save my skin - I knew then as I know now - They KNEW I was lying…..Yet - They did not throw me out of school…They should have!….The punishment would have fit the crime - But they did not…..I was given mercy by my High School Principal - Without calling the mercy out - It was “unsaid” - But believe me - I knew it…To this day I am thankful I was permitted to graduate from my High School, which was run by the the De La Salle Christian Brothers……A great lesson was given to me by my principal as a result of this rather sad episode I am writing about today….Maybe the greatest lesson of my entire High School career…It was the same lesson Jesus gave to the man who asked him in St Luke’s Gospel…."Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”……The answer - In a word - Mercy!…….And what did my High School Principal teach me, without having to say a word?……."Go and do likewise.”

"Out of my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me; From the midst of the nether world I cried for help, and you heard my voice"

Today Jesus in the Gospel at Mass communicates something very important to us all…The need to show mercy to others…Why?…Because we all need it….Don’t think so? - Well - For those who “fall into that camp” - Here is an inconvenient truth…..No matter who you are….No matter what you have achieved….No matter where you live or what you do….There will come a time when you ask God for mercy…...And when that time comes - AND IT WILL - So write this down - The outcome of that “ask” will depend upon whether or not you gave mercy to others…I hope you heard what I just wrote…Because its on “the final exam”………………JMJ

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