Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle and evangelist
When I look at our world today I see so much division- white against black, conservative against liberal, Christian against Muslim. Although there is a pervasive sense of “us” versus “them” I do not believe that this is what God desires for the people of this world. God longs to draw all people and all creation to Himself- to be one with Him. As followers of Christ we are called to live our lives to build this unity, and Jesus as the Divine Physician shows us that the way to bring healing and unity—His mercy.
In today’s scripture passage from St. Paul, he uses the word “one” 8 different times! Paul is trying to tell his listeners that each of us is called to “preserve the unity of the Spirit”. This is not something that we can do on our own, but “grace is given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” We are the instruments of God’s grace as we draw others to the “one Lord, one faith, one baptism: one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” St. Paul goes on further to remind us that all people are called to live out this work towards unity. Each person, in their individual calling, is called to “build up the Body of Christ.” No matter what we do, we are called to “live in a manner worthy of the call” to reach out and bring others to oneness with Christ.
Jesus helps us better understand how we are called to live out this call to oneness. When asked about reaching out to the broken, the sinful, and the poor, Jesus explains that as the Great Physician, He comes to heal the sick. His treatment for healing and wholeness is His mercy for all people. However, it is only those who recognize their brokenness, their sinfulness and their need for God who are able to receive the healing forgiveness and love of Christ. The righteous believe that they do not need God’s healing and therefore they oftentimes cannot understand Jesus’ mission of healing. Jesus calls each person to join with Him- to be one with Him, the Father and the Spirit, but only when we can see our brokenness and our need for His mercy can we be touched by God.
So how do we live out our call to oneness through the mercy of Christ? Before we can bring mercy to others, we must know the mercy of Christ. This means we must be able to recognize our sins, brokenness and need for God’s grace. Once we have opened our hearts to His mercy, then we can extend that to others. I believe it begins by placing ourselves into the shoes of the people we encounter. This hopefully, will prevent us from judging another person. If we sit in judgment of others, it will be difficult if not impossible to extend mercy. In each of our encounters with others, we must be able to listen and be open to what they have to say and accepting of who they are. This is not an easy task, but if we approach another person and already have placed a label on them, it prevents us from seeing the Good- (God) within them. Once we have listened to them, then we are called to love them with “all humility, and gentleness and with patience.” (Eph 4:1) To show kindness in this way to someone who is not like us allows the potential for a bridge to be built. We can be a source of healing for them and our community by living in this manner of non-judgment and peace. The other person may or may not reciprocate this openness and empathy, but as followers of Christ we can plant the seeds that hopefully will one day open the hearts of those around us. Living the mercy of Christ is not just to be performed in our “church circles”, but in our homes, at our jobs, at the grocery, on the streets, in our conversations- in everything we think, say or do. Just stopping to listen to someone who has a different political idea and at least hearing what they say (even though you may not agree) is a way that you can respect that individual and in a sense show mercy. Living this way will require a great deal of practice and will need daily mindfulness to help put that practice into action.
If we can live out our Christian calling by imitating the Great Physician, then we can bring healing to the people we encounter through our daily lives. Once they have received the mercy of God, then they can reach out to others and spread this compassion. As this mercy flows, then more and more people will be drawn into the love of Christ and we will grow in our “oneness” with Him. There are many differences in our world that we cannot eliminate, but what we can embrace is the dignity of each person, and the need for each individual to be heard, respected and loved. With this attitude of Christ’s mercy, we can continue with our mission of bringing all people to God through Christ.
"Heavenly Father, we thank You for Jesus who brings us Your healing and mercy. With the grace of Your Spirit, help us to go forth as your emissaries of mercy to help bring wholeness, healing and unity to the world we live in. May our lives lived for you be a sign of your presence, and may all that we are give you glory. We pray this through Christ, our LORD. Amen."
Marylynn Herchline