“What I want is mercy, not sacrifice.”Why does Jesus want mercy? He wants mercy because mercy, together with forgiveness, is restorative. It heals the broken human heart; it restores back fragmented spirit to wholeness. Mercy connects us back to God, our fellow human creatures, and other nonhuman creaturesBecause Jesus has shown us his mercy, he wants us to give it to others; he wants us to pass it on to others. This is the only way things will work in favor of humanity and all creation. What God has done to us, what we ourselves have experienced as a result of the love and mercy of God, we also pass on to others. And so we become instru- ment or agent of God’s divine and wonderful action in our lives. God’s action simply flows through us towards others, so that they, too, might experience God’s love and mercy.In 2017 Pope Francis added the“care of creation”as a modern work of mercy. The mercy of God is now extended to include the rest of God’s “very good” crea- tion. This is grounded in the pure love of God that knows no limit; his love embraces all of life, all that he has created. That is why we are all enjoined to be merci- ful to all creatures, both humans and nonhumans alike.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2019
September 21, 2019
Gospel: Matthew 9:9-13
As Jesus moved on from there, he saw a man named Matthew, at his seat in the custom-house; and he said to him, “Follow me!” And Matthew got up and followed him. Now it happened, while Jesus was at table in Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners joined Jesus and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why is it, that your master eats with sinners and tax collectors?”When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people do not need a doctor, but sick people do. Go, and find out what this means: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Published in
Daily Gospel
