Mercy-Living

A number of years ago an associate and I were making a pastoral visit to a patient at the Hahnman Hospital in Center City Philadelphia.  As we were leaving the hospital and making our way to the parking lot, we were approached by a dirty, unkempt and, obviously, homeless man.  I freely admit that I usually do not respond positively to requests from such individuals.  However, on this particular evening as I looked into the man’s eyes, I was reminded of the words of Jesus-- “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”  I reached into my pocket and pulled out two quarters and placed them into the hand of this individual.

            Normally, one feels a certain amount of guilt regardless of whether you help the beggar or reject his plea.  I recall that I had read an editorial in the Philadelphia Inquirer that very week in which the head of the mayor advisory council had advocated not helping any beggar or homeless person with small change because of the deception and misuse of donations for alcohol or drugs.  She suggested that these individuals can be better served by going to homeless shelters or feeding programs that the city and social service agencies offer.

            As Christians, what should our response be when we encounter people in need on the street or in the world?  Should we treat them as if they were our neighbors?  What makes a neighbor?  Geographical proximity?  Community of race or religion?  Homogeneity of social or economical background?  Commonality of ideology?  

In this parable, Jesus overturns our traditional definitions and shatters our stereotypes of what it means to be a neighbor.  One of the basic fundamentals of Christianity is the denial of self in exchange for service to others.  Jesus affirms this in Mark 9:35—“If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.”  This is a foundational concept of Christianity which I call “mercy-living.”

Mercy-living is displaying godly compassion in our actions by undertaking acts of kindness through subordinating self to the person’s level of pain expecting no personal gain.  This implies action that is caring and compassionate, unselfish and sensitive to others being served. 

In the next several blogs, I shall examine the familiar passage of Luke 10:25-37 to anchor this biblical principle of mercy-living.  While responding to the probing question of an expert in the law who asked “Who is my neighbor?”—Jesus advocated that his followers should live out the principle of mercy in life’s routines and interactions.  Mercy is expressed through service to others in humility while denying oneself.