Be merciful, as your Father is merciful. Looking at our world today, it is hard to imagine if we can even figure out what this mercy looks like. The prophet Daniel implores God to have mercy on his people. His plea for his people shows that he sees God as compassionate despite acknowledging that his people have sinned by being unfaithful to God’s law and not heeding the prophets. For this, the people are exiled from their land, suffering greatly, and having lost everything. Even though Israel has broken their side of the covenant, he pleads for mercy. He trusts in God’s faithfulness and compassion.

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. God continues to be there even when we are not. God continues to not judge us but to love us. God showers us with gifts even when we cannot return in kind. God forgives us even when we do not forgive ourselves or cannot forgive others. So, Jesus challenges us to this sort of compassion.

To be “imitators” of the Father in Heaven is to open ourselves to possibilities: to forgive, to refrain from judging and making assumptions about people, to be giving and available. Living with that openness results in a life of continued and overflowing abundance. A lot less tension too! How we are with others is how we will be dealt with. It is the measure by which we are measured. Kind begets kind. Mercy begets mercy. When people feel judged, they become guarded. Mercy and compassion break down the walls. We will likewise experience the forgiveness, caring, openness, kindness, and mercy not only from those we “show mercy to” but ultimately from God.

Lord, grant me the grace of being open, giving, and merciful to those who I encounter daily in my work and with all that I meet and encounter so that I may in even a small way reflect your compassion and mercy.