St. John Paul II had a wonderful expression to describe mercy; he said it was “love’s second name.” Throughout Sacred Scripture, Jesus’ love is frequently spoken about in terms of mercy. We just have to recall the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15: 11-32), or the Lost Sheep (Luke 15:1-7).
In fact, Jesus instructs his disciples to love unconditionally by being merciful. Since this lesson occurs during Jesus’ teaching about marriage, it strongly suggests that marriage, and family life, is to be held together by unconditional mercy. The family that practices mercy will be immensely blessed.
In his letter, Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis writes, “Once we allow ill will to take root in our hearts, it leads to deep resentment …. The opposite of resentment is forgiveness, which is rooted in a positive attitude that seeks to understand other people’s weaknesses and to excuse them.” We have all experienced being offended or let down. We must always remember that forgiveness is possible and desirable. Yet that does not mean it will be easy.
What helps us to forgive, is for us to have our own experience of being forgiven by God. As Pope Francis writes, “If we accept that God’s love is unconditional, that the Father’s love cannot be bought or sold, then we will become capable of showing boundless love and forgiving others even if they have wronged us.”
Do we find it difficult to forgive? What holds us back from forgiving? Is it resentment based on ill will, unduly looking for faults, an excessive concern for our rights, the inability to forgive ourselves or accept our own limitations?
One suggestion for helping your family to become more fully alive is to go to the sacrament of reconciliation together, as a family. Then a week later, take some time to discuss how the sacrament has helped each of you to be more holy and to fight against temptation and sin during the week. Receiving God’s mercy and forgiveness should make it easier for us to “pay it forward” in being merciful and forgiving to those we encounter.