Sermon Library
“Blessed Are The Merciful”
Rev. Dr. Gregg R. Anderson
March 20, 2011
Service Theme: Second Sunday of Lent
Second Sunday of Lent March 20, 2011
Blessed Are The Merciful
By Gregg Anderson
The Rubber Band Gun
I would like to begin by telling you one of my favorite stories about my mother. I first told it here about 14 years ago on Christmas Eve. We used to base our Christmas Eve services on one of the symbols of Christmas time. Our theme then was the symbol of Christmas presents and giving. Tom Ward created decorations which included giant wrapped packages under a tree as though we were all looking at it from the eyes of a child on Christmas morning.
Such big presents reminded me of a time when I was about five years old and going downstairs from my bedroom early on Christmas morning. I was the only one there and unwrapped this one present for me which was a red rubber band gun. The gun held four tightly pulled red rubber bands. It came with four card board cut outs of wild animals that were on a rod. When you hit one it would flip over. There was a lion and a tiger and a bear and an elephant. I was picking the animals off one at a time. I set them up under the tree and began to pick them off one at a time. But then I missed one and instead it hit one of my mother’s fragile round glass bulb ornaments that she had used for years. I can see them now in all the brilliant colors, gold and red and green and blue. Well, when the rubber band hit the ornament it kind of exploded. I then realized that this was a lot more fun than the card board cut outs. I proceeded to pick off of a few more bulbs.
I thought I would clean up all the shattered pieces and throw them away and my mother would never notice a few balls missing among the many others on the tree. Oops, too late, there she was. I learned then just exactly how valuable those ornaments were to my mother. I didn’t know that they belonged to her mother as well and I guess her mother before that. No one told me. You would think if they were that old, one would get rid of them by now anyway. Who knew she was going to get that upset. Needless to say, there went my rubber band gun. I spent the rest of Christmas morning in my room.
What I remember most about this is that a few hours later, my mother returned the rubber band gun to me with the promise that I would only use it in the basement from now on. I agreed. My mother was very kind and couldn’t stand to punish me for very long. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”
So on that Christmas Morning, the day after I told this story here at the Chapel, I called my mother to tell her the story I had told about her on Christmas Eve. She vaguely remembered, but then she quickly added that she could never really scold me. Besides being hard on her, she said that I would take it so hard and go to my room on my own and sulk. I always took it too hard. I told her on the phone that I still do this. She laughed. But, I do still do this. My mother, however, was always merciful.
A Mother’s Mercy
Meister Eckhart wrote in the thirteenth century, “We are all meant to be Mothers of mercy and Mother’s of God.” He said, “Our name is: that we must be born. The creators name is: to bear. The soul alone among all creation is generative like God is. We are all meant to be mothers of God.” He also said, “What good is it to me if this eternal birth of the divine Son takes place unceasingly but does not take place within myself? And what good is it to me if Mary is full of grace if I am not also full of grace? What good is it to me for the Creator to give birth to his Son if I also do not give birth to him in my time and my culture? This, then, is the fullness of time: When the Son of God is begotten in us.”
Aramaic Meaning
With the help of Professor Neil Douglas-Klotz’s translation of this Beatitude in Aramaic, the language in which Jesus would have first spoken it, we learn that the word merciful is Lamrahmane and the word mercy is rahme, both from an origin later translated as “mercy” from the Greek. The ancient aramaic root, however, is “womb,” as in a mother’s womb which loves and protects. The association of womb and compassion leads to the image of “birthing mercy.” As a mother gives birth from her womb, she innately gives love and mercy to her child.. Professor Klotz suggests that the aramaic translation would be, “Blessed are those who, from their inner wombs, birth mercy; they shall feel its warm arms embrace them.”
May we show mercy as a mother shows love and mercy to her child. And as Meister Eckhart affirms may we all be mothers of mercy as God is like a mother of mercy to us. And what good is it to me if Mary is full of grace if I am not also full of grace? How do we invent mercy? It comes from God’s grace, compassion, forgiveness and love.
Mercy and Mercantile
When we look at other origins we find a relationship between the word mercy and mercantile or exchange. In Latin we find words such as merx and mercantem. This may be a play on words, but just as the Aramaic relates mercy from a mother to a child, these words relate mercy as an exchange between giver and receiver. It is reciprocal. When we give mercy, we shall receive mercy. It should be an even exchange. At least, hopefully.
Parable of the Forgiving Master
In fact, Jesus has a parable about someone who is given mercy, but does not reciprocate. It is the parable of the Forgiving Master. Jesus said that “the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the reckoning, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents; and as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But that same servant, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ So his fellow servant fell down and besought him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ He refused and went and put him in prison till he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you besought me; and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his lord delivered him to the jailers, till he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
Seven Times Seventy
I would say that this parable strongly relates to this Beatitude. We think of God’s grace to be all encompassing, but Jesus warns us pretty directly, that if we do not show mercy, it will not be shown to us. Jesus spoke pretty strongly about forgiveness. Just before this parable in the Gospel of Matthew, Peter came up and asked Jesus, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.” The word “seven” in Hebrew means “complete,” or “finished,” as in seven days of creation. Our forgiveness is to be continuous and complete.
Mercy and Forgiveness
In many ways, mercy and forgiveness are synonyms, but technically not quite. The World Book Dictionary defines forgiveness as such: To give up the wish to punish or get even. And to not have hard feelings or to give up expectation of payment. I love this definition of mercy: it is more kindness than justice requires. It is kindness beyond what can be expected.
According to one Professor of Philosophy, Lucy Allais, in South Africa, “Mercy involves leniency in the infliction of punishment that is due in accordance with justice. Whereas, forgiveness is primarily concerned with the victim’s feelings and attitudes toward the wrong doer as a person.” Mercy is leniency in punishment. Forgiveness is associated with a response to an apology in an interpersonal context.
Personally, I am not so sure that the technical difference is so important. Mercy and forgiveness are brother and sister qualities that we perceive as God-like and those which we can espouse. It is not easy and it is so often across the grain of expected social norms, but when it happens it can change lives.
Examples
I think of the mercy that coach Harold Jones gave to Robert “Radio” Kennedy, a developmentally delayed young person, who could only push a cart around the football field, but because of the coach’s compassion and mercy, he brought him into the field and over time became a great part of the high school and community of Anderson, South Carolina, where he still lives today. The movie was called “Radio” made in 2003. Perhaps some of you may have caught the movie of his life featuring Cuba Gooding and Ed Harris. It is just another story of how mercy can change lives and a community.
I think of an older relative I greatly respected by the name of Russell Hanson who had a successful career but retired early to contribute his time to the church and help others. He invested substantial money to help some young people who told him they needed help to start a new business. Unfortunately, they lied to him and stole the funds he gave. When they were arrested, sentenced and imprisoned, Russ Hanson went to visit them on more than one occasion and offered his forgiveness.
I think of Dave and Joan Maroney, and Mary Duray, whose children lost their lives from thieve’s bullets and have now started a program called “Mother of Mercy Messengers.” They present seminars and workshops in churches to heal the wounds of many victims. They give messages about forgiveness and mercy and how it is good for both the giver and the receiver. The Mother of Mercy Messengers is also known in its abbreviated form as MOMM.
When my mom passed away five years ago at the age of 98, I told the story about the Christmas ornaments and her forgiveness and mercy. From 1954 when that happened until the day she died, she remained kind. She must have told me a million times in between these years how much she worried about me. I guess she was being a mother and she was also a mother of mercy.
Tony Cook writes about this Beatitude, “If rah-hum comes from womb, then really to love another or be in a deep relationship with another means to help them give birth to a new sense of themselves. It means not to hold on to who we think that person may be or who they have been, but to free them for a rebirth of the self so that they can be who they can be to fulfill their purpose in life.”
The Jesus Prayer
There is an ancient prayer. It is called the Jesus Prayer or sometimes known as the Prayer of the Heart. It is predominantly used in the Greek Orthodox church, but was used earlier by the Desert Fathers. It is quite short and meant to be repeated over and over. As short as it is, there is quite a bit of theology involved. It’s full text is, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” The shorten version and often sung in many chants is simply, “Lord, have mercy.” The Greek is Kyrie Eleison. Kyrie is Lord and Eleison is have mercy. Perhaps just think of this beautiful phrase as you leave today or remember the phrase in your next meditation. In our day to day trials and tribulations, Kyrie Eleison, can be a nice thought to remember. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Amen.
Rev. Dr. Gregg Anderson
Aspen Chapel
Aspen Chapel.org