Mercy (02/01/2025)

It’s a fact. I’m a word nerd. I love the etymology of words: where they came from, how they were used, what they originally meant. In studying multiple languages, my hunger for these origins has been fed richly. One of the words I especially like is “mercy.” It’s one we use frequently in our faith, in our prayers.

When I was studying Hebrew, I learned that the root for the word “mercy” is the same as the root for the word “womb.” Both denoted a graciousness unearned. In Latin, the root means “price paid.” When I think of the mercy of the Father who willed that we be redeemed even though we would not turn back to the LORD, I think of His gift to us that we did not deserve, the gift of His only begotten Son who came as our brother though He is the Son of God, who suffered the same as we do except for sin, and who paid the price for our sins when we would not and could not. It is a gift we did not earn. It is a graciousness beyond what we deserve. But it is indicative of the love our LORD has for us.

Every day, as I begin my day in prayer, I beg for the LORD’s help that day, for guidance and for grace. And every day, before I retire, I sit with the LORD and consider the LORD’s gifts to me and how I used them. And more days than not, I find myself begging the LORD for mercy for those time I was less than I should have been – less patient, less generous, less loving. I trust in the LORD’s mercy though I deeply regret the number of times I must beg for it.

“The LORD is kind and merciful.” I love that psalm and when we as a faith community use it as our response at the liturgy. It speaks volumes to me about my own journey and about the way the LORD graces me and loves me. It reminds me that I am called to do the same with my sisters and brothers. I didn’t earn the LORD’s mercy; it is a gift. Mercy is a gift that I should give as I have received. It means forgiving even when I can still feel the sting of the injury of another.

As we journey, let us remember the LORD’s mercy. Let us give thanks for it. Let us open our minds and hearts to the LORD’s love for us, the wellspring of that mercy. Let us seek to love the LORD with all our might and strength. And let us know that when we fail, and we will, our Almighty Father will be merciful if we come to Him as the prodigal son came, full of sorrow for our failure.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.

"The Prodigal Son" by Rembrandt