The Quality of Mercy

The Friday morning Bible study in which I participate has been studying how to manage our emotions through studying the Psalms. It’s been an instructive study, and has actually been a way to draw in people who might otherwise shy away from Bible study. After all, everyone deals with emotions! The women who’ve visited have been surprised at the pertinence of the Bible to the things they are feeling and experiencing. This week the subject was dealing with anger, and it was amazing the number of things that can contribute to that emotion and how easily that emotion can deteriorate into full-blown sin.

In addition to studying the Psalms, I’m involved in a Bible study on the Sermon on the Mount. Certainly there is no more soul-searing study than this sermon of Jesus. There is no escape from the soul-probing nature of his comments, which too often reveal things about myself I’d rather not know.

Living in the world against the backdrop of these very practical Bible studies has made me think a lot this week. There are issues that make believer angry, or sad, or scared. There are issues that unfortunately cause rifts even between the most dedicated followers of Christ. There is, of course, a God-prescribed way out for even the most damaged emotions and relationships and that way centers around acts of mercy and forgiveness.

We had dinner with some good friends last night, and met some friends of theirs who come from Poland. The Poles were describing some of the traditions they observe at Christmas time, one of which would be a good tradition for any believer to observe. Each household purchases a special kind of very white bread at Christmas time which is served before the Christmas Eve celebratory meal. The father and mother in the home break the bread, and spend as much time as necessary asking for forgiveness from each other for wrongs they’ve committed in the past year. Not only is forgiveness given and received, but they also spend time thanking each other for ways they have shown and experienced love from each other in that time. Following this time of confession and forgiveness, the parents enact the same ceremony with their children. Physical expressions of hugging and kissing are a part of this healing process. Our friends related how such a time of self-revelation gives everyone a clean slate on which to begin the new year. (My husband remarked that if every home in every nation participated wholeheartedly in this exercise, the world would be a different place!)

I was reflecting on this ceremony in light of the morning’s Bible study and discussion. If as I believer I were more merciful and willing to ask forgiveness and keep short accounts with people as well as with God, not only would I be set free from much bitterness and anxiety, but I would free others as well. Obviously, this is not a new concept. I wonder why it is so alien to us in the believing community and so infrequently practiced?

William Shakespeare had it right when he wrote: “The quality of mercy is … twice-blest: it blesseth him that gives and him that takes…. It is an attribute to God Himself…. Though justice be thy plea, consider this: that in the course of justice none of us should see salvation: we do pray for mercy; and that same prayer doth teach us all to render the deeds of mercy.”

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