Love and Mercy can Change the World

Every day the never-ending news cycles scream division and dissension. It is widely reported that the United States is the most polarized than it has ever been. Finger pointing, blame placing is the rule of the day.

Religion is often blamed for all the problems in the world.

This summer I toured the British Isles. Interestingly, in discussions with different people from England, the refrain “the world would be a better place if we got rid of religion and politicians.” They were certainly not advocating that really but the fact that religion was blamed for the world problems intrigued me.

As a practicing Catholic Christian, I believe that “religion” is the answer to the problems. It is the extremism of thought that can be the problem.

Pope Francis has captured the attention of the world. His words, widely quoted, are meant for everyone.

The Pope is encouraging all people not just Catholic Christians to reorder priorities. His message is that God is Love and Mercy. Pope Francis models that by reaching out to those who are marginalized, hurting, even atheists. Imagine that!

"I see clearly," said Pope Francis in his interview with the Jesuit magazine La Civita Cattolica, "that the thing the Church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful; it needs nearness, proximity. I see the Church as a field hospital after battle."

Wow! Warmth, nearness, healing. To do that, love and mercy are necessary.

Fr. Peter Daly of the diocese of Washington (DC) has used this line for years:

"The church is not a museum of saints, but a hospital for sinners."

And he states:

 “A broken world needs a place to bring its spiritual injuries. We need an emergency room more than a courtroom. We want healing more than judgment.”

Approaching life with love and mercy not hate and judgment would radically change the world.

What does this mean to us, baptized Christians who have been given the mandate by Jesus to spread the Gospel?

Listening to faith stories from those who found God again, I realize that for most of them it was a personal encounter that started them on the journey home.

We don’t change hearts with doctrine. We don’t change hearts with rules. We change hearts with love.

We don’t need to look very far to find someone that might be changed by our witness. When people are searching they send out signals. So listen and look for those signs and be ready to respond.

Propose don’t impose. Be respectful of others’ beliefs and feelings. 

And responding can be as easy as just being friendly. Being genuine is the key I think. As always, I look to Jesus as an example.

I picture Jesus as one who would eat and drink with His disciples and followers. Who would laugh and share stories and just be there to listen when others wanted to talk. He was genuinely happy to spend time with them with all their very human quirks. They didn’t have to be perfect to hang out with him.

His parables were life stories not theological dissertations.

It’s not necessarily going to be easy to be an agent of change in the world. 

Dealing with people’s misconceptions, anger, hurt and disappointments regarding the Church and the world takes a lot of faith and lot of work and most importantly, prayer.

 Acknowledging that we aren’t perfect and reaching out to others in our own circles and communities will go a long way in changing the adversarial atmosphere that seems to dominate interactions in the nation and the world.

Accept this spiritual challenge. God will do the rest.