In Matthew’s gospel, the Sermon on the Mount is found after the passages referring to the start of the public life of Jesus. The mountain is considered a symbol of a new Mount Sinai on which Christ, the new Moses, offers his ‘law.’ The previous chapter speaks of great crowds who began to follow Jesus and to whom he addressed his teachings. These words, however, are spoken by Jesus to the disciples and the newly formed community who would later be called Christians. He introduces the ‘kingdom of heaven’ that lies at the very heart of his preaching.1 The beatitudes are its manifesto, the message of salvation, and the ‘synthesis of all the Good News that is the revelation of God’s saving love.’2

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.”

What is mercy? Who are the merciful? The sentence is introduced by the word ‘blessed’ which means happy 3 or fortunate and also takes on the meaning of being blessed by God. In the text, this phrase has the central place among the nine beatitudes which do not refer to behavior that will be rewarded but are real opportunities to become a little more like God. The merciful, in particular, are those whose hearts are filled with love for Him and for their brothers and sisters, a

concrete love that favors the least, the forgotten, the poor, and those in need of this selfless love. Mercy, in fact, is one of God’s attributes;4 Jesus himself is mercy.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.”

The beatitudes transform and revolutionize the most commonly held precepts of our thinking. They are not just words of consolation but have the power to change our hearts, create a new humanity, and make the proclamation of the Word effective.

We should live the beatitude of mercy with ourselves too, recognizing that we are also in need of that extraordinary, superabundant, and immense love that God has for each of us.

The word mercy 5 comes from the Hebrew word rehem, meaning ‘womb.’ It evokes a sense of limitless divine mercy, like the compassion of a mother for her child. It is “a love that is beyond measure, abundant, universal and concrete… A love that tends to draw out a response from others which is the ultimate goal of mercy… And so, if we have suffered due * to any offense or injustice, let us (softer) forgive and be forgiven. We can be the first to be merciful* and compassionate! Even if this seems difficult and challenging let us ask ourselves, in front of each neighbor: How would this person’s mother behave towards him or her? It is a thought that helps us to understand and live according to the heart of God.” 6

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.” *

“After two years of marriage, our daughter and her husband decided to separate. We welcomed her back into our home and, during the moments of tension that followed, we tried to love her

by being patient, forgiving, and having an attitude of understanding in our hearts. We maintained an open relationship with her and her husband, above all, by trying not to be judgmental. After three months of listening, discreetly helping and of many prayers, they were reunited, and there is now a different sense of awareness, trust and hope in their relationship.” 7

Being merciful is more than forgiving. It means having a heart that longs to cancel out and burn away everything that may be an obstacle in our relationships with others. The invitation of Jesus to be merciful offers us a way to return to the original design of God and become what we were created for: to be God’s image and likeness.

Letizia Magri

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1 Cf. Mt 4:23 & 5:19, 20.

2 C. Lubich, Word of Life, November 2000

3 In Greek, ‘makarios’ is used both to describe a fortunate, happy condition of human beings and to indicate the privileged status of the gods over that of human beings.

4 In Hebrew, ‘hesed,’ meaning selfless and welcoming love, ready to forgive

5 ‘Rahamim’ in Hebrew.

6 C. Lubich, Word of Life, November 2000

7 Taken from www.focolare.org.