A natural, human tendency is to be generous to people with whom we shared personal feelings of warmth and affection. This is natural, but not exceptional. Jesus urges us beyond our comfort zone and to show signs of good will to people outside the circle of those we personally like. This teaching (see Matthew 5, 43-48) more often than not stretches our generosity to new limits.
Christ wants us to show, by our dealing to others, some inkling of God, whose love makes the sun to shine for bad people as well as good, and the rain to fall on honest and dishonest alike. This way of living taught by Jesus can only be possible with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives among us and within us.
A practical application: if someone were to wrong us, no matter how justified our anger, we can ask God to forgive the person. William Shakespeare understood this and called it a blend of justice and mercy. In the Merchant of Venice the young lawyer, Portia, says:
“The quality of mercy is not strained; It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven, Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest; It blesseth him that gives and him that takes… And earthly power doth then show likest God’s, When mercy seasons justice…”
If we are to grow into the likeness of God and give witness to His presence in the world, we need to act and react (always) as God would. How wonderful would the world be if we followed Jesus’ advice?
Let us pray. “God in heaven, in the world there is so much injustice and so much carelessness. There is also an unwillingness to put all things in your hands and trust in your care for us. May your grace and mercy fill our hearts and our world, so that we may follow more closely the way of your Son, who lives and reigns with you for ever and ever. Amen.”
