Homework

 

As one of my grade-school teachers explained to me a long time ago, homework is important because it’s supposed to get us to dig deeper into a particular subject and gain some confidence in our knowledge and understanding.  The image of homework came to me in my reflection on the scripture readings for the Feast of St. Matthew.  Jesus, the Great Teacher, was assigning the Pharisees some homework when He said to them, “Go and learn the meaning of these words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice’” (Matthew 9:9-13).

This assignment for the Pharisees is our assignment today, as well.  How do we react to this message?  Personally, I feel more comfortable thinking about sacrifice.  Sacrifice is concrete doing; doing something that we know to do.  Mercy seems fuzzy.

Jesus knew that the Pharisees knew the origin of the words.  The words come from Hosea 6:6; God told the people in Hosea that they were getting it all wrong by focusing on animal sacrifice and ritual instead of taking care of people.  Hosea went on to remind the people of how many times they had gone off track.

We can see in our own lives the ways we often go off track and how much we need mercy.  Thankfully we have a God of mercy.  We need mercy from one another too.  Praise God for all those who show us mercy.  When we show mercy to others in healthy ways we feel healing too.  Consider how Jesus stresses this message in His teachings.  The parable of the debtor and the king (Matthew 18:21-35) and the way He taught the disciples to pray (Luke 11:1-13) are just two examples of teachings that stress a message of forgiveness and mercy.

St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians provides a picture of what living our calling as Christians means.  He explains how important mercy is to live in this way: bearing with one another, having gentleness and patience, and striving for unity (Ephesians 4:1-13).   

As we honor Saint Matthew today it’s fitting that we see how mercy plays out in his calling.  The details are sparse, but Jesus appears to invite him with little notice and Matthew appears to accept the invitation and the mercy joyfully.  So joyfully, in fact, that he wants to share this calling and this Jesus with his friends.  He doesn’t insist that his friends “clean up their act” first, just as Jesus didn’t appear to require that of Matthew before his calling.  Yet, Matthew does walk away from the position that allowed him to take advantage of others and the gospel of Matthew emphasizes teachings of Jesus that set very high standards for caring for others and serving those who are disadvantaged.

There are times that I can be like the Pharisees.  I’m easily pulled into being skeptical of mercy.  I can miss the awesome and ironic power of mercy to help people (including me) live up to a higher standard. This is particularly the case when the standard that matters most is authentic love.   Receiving mercy helps us get back up again and helps us to do what is required to love others well, not out of a sense of righteousness and powerfulness, but with humility and compassion.  Isn’t love with humility and compassion what we so often see in Jesus?  Isn’t that what St. Paul, in his letter emphasizes in terms of living up to our calling?

May Jesus open our eyes today to the mercy He desires and the mercy He so graciously shows us through His Word, His Eucharist, and those around us.