Be
Merciful Like God
Written
by: Ronel
Alijado
St.
Scholastoca’s Academy - Tabunok
Luke
6: 36 reads: “Be merciful, just like your Father in heaven is
merciful.” How does man become merciful like God? Why is mercy a
necessity and an obligation in the current time, given the plight of
the local, national, and international spheres? These very questions
need truthful, accurate, clear, and practical answers. The options
are to forget these questions and to worsen human sufferings and
world miseries, or to respond to them and to seek to apply
significant, workable systems, approaches, and solutions to turn
things around right now. The latter choice is a great manifestation
of mercy. It is not education, talent, social class or financial
resource which moves humanity to act. It is a heart filled with
mercy.
Mercy
is forgiving; it is finding time to stop to tend to the needs of
people; and it is caring for the Earth. God defines mercy in Matthew
in the story of a king and a servant about forgiveness; in Luke, in
the Good Samaritan about love for others; and in Genesis, care for
the environment.
Pope
Francis in his letter asked the Church to rediscover the richness
encompassed by the spiritual and corporal works of mercy.
The
saints displayed such mercy. Mother Teresa helped
the hungry, the sick, and the homeless through
Missionaries of Charity. But you do not have to be a saint to change
the world for the better through your mercy toward all. Nelson
Mandela helped bring an end to apartheid and advocate human
rights.Ninoy Aquino Jr., a leading opponent of the rule of President
Ferdinand Marcos who declared Martial Law, was shot and was killed
for his
love for country.
In
the present, mercy is much alive through the Samaritan works of
organizations all over the world: Wine to Water provides clean water
to thousands of people in some African nations; Razia Jan of
Afghanistan opened a school to give girls an equal and fair chance of
making their dreams come true despite attacks and threats by armed
groups opposed to girls’ education. Narayanan Krishnan of India has
provided 1.2 million meals to India’s destitute.
Individual
people need to emulate these great values and deeds of saints and of
heroes to alleviate pains, to eradicate fears, to inspire persons,
and to bring happiness, prosperity, security, and peace to all
places.
Yet
still many pictures of the world seem to be hopeless, dangerous,
disturbing, and dark. Most of these phenomena are the consequences of
human selfishness, greed, anger, and hate.
In
the Millennium Development Goals Report of 2015 by the United
Nations, about 800 million people still live in extreme poverty and
suffer from hunger.
All
over the world, suffering on a large scale has led to an increase in
terrorism – the absolute opposite of mercy. From 2000 to 2015,
there have been over 61, 000 terrorist attacks globally, killing more
than 140, 000 people, according to the Institute for Economics and
Peace.
Moreover,
the environment is a major world concern. An estimated 12.6 million
deaths each year are attributable to unhealthy environments. These
deaths are caused by air, water, and land
pollution, chemical exposures, climate change, and ultraviolet
radiation. In 2015, the World Bank estimated that the world
has lost the equivalent of 1,000 football fields of forests per hour
for the last 25 years.
The
need for mercy is not just individual, but also civic and national.
With all these major predicaments, what can governments do all over
the world? Countries must collect data to analyze the different
societal and political issues to create better decisions, policies,
and programs for the development of communities. Each nation must be
committed for the goals of uplifting the poor, of
providing
healthcare, security, and justice, and
of
protecting and enriching nature and environment. The leaders and the
public must stand against corruption to show mercy to the
disadvantaged and to improve lives and societies through health and
livelihood programs and education.
At
the local level, those who have more than they need can donate for
food, water, health, clothes, shelter, and education
of
the marginalized. In their simple ways, people
can
dispose
garbage
properly,
protect and conserve water and energy, and grow trees.
Selfishness
is not always in our best interest, despite appearances. It makes the
world more cold and dangerous. Mercy, on the other hand, changes a
whole society for the better; it leads to stability and prosperity.
It even improves the lives of those who give.
If
every human shows mercy, this world will definitely be a better place
for all. All people can be heroes and saints so long as their heart
and soul are merciful. This is how we can emulate God and perform His
will. As the ancient hymn says, “Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi
est.” – “Where love and charity are found … God Himself is
there.”
Let
that place be within our hearts.
Note: This was the piece that Jomarson Magallon, a Grade VIII Scholastican student, used in the competition during the CEAP-CeSSPA CETA Press Conference and Speech Festival at St. Theresa's College of Cebu last August 27, 2016.
