Thursday, July 05, 2007

Mercy, Not Sacrifice

July 6, 2007
Friday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Abraham had now reached a ripe old age, and the LORD had blessed him in every way. Genesis 24:1

“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, I desire mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” Matthew 9:13

Piety

No peace without justice, no justice without forgiveness: this is what in this message I wish to say to believers and unbelievers alike, to all men and women of good will who are concerned for the good of the human family and for its future.

No peace without justice, no justice without forgiveness: This is what I wish to say to those responsible for the future of the human community, entreating them to be guided in their weighty and difficult decisions by the light of man's true good, always with a view to the common good.

No peace without justice, no justice without forgiveness: I shall not tire of repeating this warning to those who, for one reason or another, nourish feelings of hatred, a desire for revenge or the will to destroy.

May a more intense prayer rise from the hearts of all believers for the victims of terrorism, for their families so tragically stricken, for all the peoples who continue to be hurt and convulsed by terrorism and war. May the light of our prayer extend even to those who gravely offend God and man by these pitiless acts, that they may look into their hearts, see the evil of what they do, abandon all violent intentions and seek forgiveness. In these troubled times, may the whole human family find true and lasting peace, born of the marriage of justice and mercy! Amen.

(From Pope John Paul II, June 5, 2005)

Study

http://www.usccb.org/nab/070607.shtml

The Lord did not hold out his blessings just for Abraham. He held such blessings for all of us. Throughout this week, there have been readings upon readings about obedience. Today’s story from Genesis is not exception. We see the blessing of the Lord played out in the quest of the obedient servant to find a wife for Isaac in the land of Abraham’s father, not among Canaan.

So, what are we to be obedient about? The answer to that is highlighted in today’s Gospel. Rooted in sacred scripture is God’s desire that we love each other. Not that we are pre-occupied with sacrifice as Abraham was on the mountaintop with Isaac. But that we love God and each other.

For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than holocausts. Hosea 6:6

If mercy is superior to the temple sacrifices, how much more is love of sister and brother superior to the laws of ritual impurity? This is expressed throughout the Hebrew Bible and Matthew reiterates it in the Good News.

Action

We must be women and men of love and forgiveness. We can not and modeling Jesus, should not, hold out rituals alone as the path to salvation. Those who are following the rituals and not living in sin are already saved. Jesus is not concerned with them. He is concerned about the lost sheep, the lost coin.

As Pope John Paul II wrote in a homily for 2005, “Forgiveness is above all a personal choice, a decision of the heart to go against the natural instinct to pay back evil with evil. The measure of such a decision is the love of God, who draws us to himself in spite of our sin. It has its perfect exemplar in the forgiveness of Christ, who on the cross prayed: "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Lk 23:34).

When we do wrong, we hope that others will deal with us with leniency. The same is true when we face God. We already know that God loves us and desires us to be merciful, not sacrificial. To be loving, not hating.

This weekend, state sponsored executions will once again be in the news. The state of Georgia is poised to execute a man who might very well be innocent of the crime he was convicted of committing. Do Not Execute Troy Davis!

The state of Georgia has scheduled Troy Davis' execution on July 17 for the murder of Mark McPhail. However, there is no physical evidence linking Davis to the crime and 7 of 9 witnesses have officially recanted their testimony, alleging police coercion. ACT NOW by contacting the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles, requesting that they stop the execution of Troy Davis! Time is running out!

You can read more and take action at: http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/ncadp/content.jsp?content_KEY=2782

No comments: