“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” Luke 6:36
In today’s Gospel Jesus tells His disciples, “Stop judging and you will not be judged.” This passage is often interpreted to mean that Christians are not supposed to judge the actions of others, but a more accurate interpretation might be that we are not to judge the state of another person’s soul. We are all capable of judging right from wrong, and it might even be said that we, as Christians, are obligated to do so. We should form our consciences in accord with the teachings of Jesus and we should never hesitate to stand against sin and evil in the world.
In saying not to judge, Jesus does not mean that we should condone or overlook sin; instead He is comparing the natural behavior of sinners to the higher standards expected of Christians. We are called to forgive those who offend us, pray for them, and to be generous, giving, and merciful in our own actions. To love and forgive our enemies requires supernatural grace, as opposed to the natural impulse we all have to give to our loved ones. Our Lord is merciful, even to the wicked, and so His disciples are called to show mercy and love to all.
Sometimes, the most merciful thing we can do for our enemies is to guide them to the truth of Christ. The teachings of Jesus are given to the world to bring us closer to God, and to bring us joy, peace, and life. But a sinful and blind world does not easily receive truth and goodness. Just as Jesus was crucified for speaking the truth to a world that was not open to His words, His followers can expect to experience rejection, hatred, and persecution. It is for these times that Jesus instructs us to return good for evil and love for hatred. It is then that we join in His great prayer from the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
By showing mercy and love to our enemies in the midst of persecution, our prayers are magnified, our gifts are multiplied, and we discover that our Lord’s generosity to us, in turn, can never be outdone.
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