Friday 15 July 2022
St Bonaventure
Isaiah 38:1-6, 21-22, 7-8. You saved my life, O Lord, I shall not die – Isaiah 38:10-12, 16. Matthew 12:1-8.
What I want is mercy, not sacrifice
In 2016, Pope Friday 15 July 2022
Francis authored a book called The Name of God is Mercy. In it, he reflects on the most common description of God in the Hebrew Scriptures, each time a variation of: ‘God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love’. Therefore ‘mercy’ is not only an attribute, but God’s very name. The word in Hebrew and Greek captures images of being held in a maternal womb, and a gut reaction of compassion. Mercy is boundless, steadfast and life-giving. So, if our religion does not represent that same mercy, it is not worthy of the name. We express our love for God not by harshly enforcing rules, but by showing mercy to others. How can our faith be life-giving today?
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