Biblical Mercy Explained: How Forgiveness Opens the Heart to Grace

Readings for Mass and Virtual Homily, February 23, 2025, Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time; More Thoughts on February, My Favorite Month; Sabbatical on the Horizon

 Readings for Mass this Sunday

• 1 Samuel 26:2, 7-8, 12-13, 22-23

• Psalm 103:1-4, 8, 10, 12-13

• 1 Corinthians 15:45-49

• Luke 6:27-38

Dear Friends and Family,

The general theme of the readings this week may be understood to be mercy -- both that of God and that which we are asked to show one another.  Both the first reading and the psalm exemplify this quality.  

In the passage from 1 Samuel, David, given the opportunity to defeat his tormentor King Saul, passes on it, preferring to let the king know that he might have killed him while he slept, but didn't.  David, in other words, showed Saul an exceptional mercy.  There is, alas, little evidence in the Scriptural accounts, that Saul returned David's graciousness.  

The psalm repeatedly extols God's abundant patience, forgiveness and love for us, all of which adds up to God's mercy.  "Slow to anger, abounding in mercy" (vs. 8).  "As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our sins from us" (vs. 12).  God created us for heaven and wants us there.  God is willing to come a very significant distance in our direction, in order to effect our salvation.

The Gospel passage from Luke is one of my favorite in the entire Bible, for the way it encourages us to be merciful, to be generous of heart, to be forgiving.  "Do not judge," the passage assures us, and we will not be judged.  "Do not condemn," and we will not be condemned.  Give and it will be given to us (vss. 37-38).

Verse 38 in particular resonates with me for its joyful assurance that any generous act on our part will be repaid by God, and in abundance.  Here it is in full.

"Give and gifts will be given to you, a good measure, packed together, shaken down and overflowing, will be poured into your lap.  For the measure with which you measure will in turn be measured out to you. 

I love the imagery here -- "a good measure, packed together, shaken down and overflowing."  God, who will not be outdone in generosity, stands ready to be abundantly generous with us, if we are generous with others.

We are not particularly talking about money here, though of course, monetary gifts and mercy may be coupled quite easily.  The passage has more broadly to do with judgment; rather, it has to do with non-judgment, with non-condemnation.  Avoid condemning others and we will avoid condemnation.  Forgive others and we will be forgiven.  Show mercy and mercy will be shown to us.  

Not just shown to us.  Abundantly shown to us -- a good measure, packed together, shaken down and overflowing.  This passage from Luke reminds me of the passage from 1 Peter which assures us that charity covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8).   

There is an important spiritual and emotional dynamic at work here -- specifically, to the extent that we open our hearts to forgive, so shall we be forgiven.  Forgive us our trespasses AS we forgive those who trespass against us (Matthew 6:12).  To the extent that we refrain from judging we will not be judged.  To the extent that we give, it will be given to us, a good measure.

This is not a matter of God playing tit for tat with us.  It is a description of a deep spiritual and emotional dynamic.  To the extent that our heart is open to forgive, that is the extent to which it is able to receive forgiveness.  To the extent that our heart is open to show mercy, that is the extent to which it is able to receive mercy.  To the extent that our heart is generous and giving, that is the extent to which it will be able to receive generosity, to receive gifts.  

Jesus encourages us to open our hearts to our fellow man, to be generous in our judgments, just as God is, in his.  To the extent that we can operate under this dynamic -- non-judgment, non-condemnation, forgiveness, generosity, mercy -- to precisely that extent will our own hearts be open to receive these blessings from God.  

I have read more than once, in the mystical tradition of the Church, that one of the sins which keeps a person in Purgatory longest is unforgiveness.  Again, it is not because God is playing tit for tat.  It is because it is precisely to the extent that we open our hearts to forgive others that we ourselves are open to receive forgiveness.  God would gladly forgive us everything in an instant.  But if the graces needed for our forgiveness are many, and if our heart is open only a little, either to forgive or to receive forgiveness, well, then God has to pour those graces slowly through a very narrow opening.  

He will get the work done, one way or another, as the Lord, who is kind and merciful, slow to anger and rich in kindness, wants us with him forever.  But it is up to us, just how quickly the Lord will be able to shower that mercy upon us; up to us how much of that good measure, packed together, shaken down and overflowing, we are able to receive at once.  "If today you hear his voice, harden not your heart" (Psalm 95:7-8).

Happy to see a forecast that shows sun and temps in the 70s for the weekend and coming week -- about time!  Though I was very grateful for all the rain the first half of this month, I am glad to see as well some dry weather ahead, not just dry but with temps reaching more typical February levels.  It has been COLD this first half of the month!

The fact that it is February has got me thinking about June.  Don't ask me -- it is an association that goes back to my childhood, perhaps precisely because of many boyhood memories of bright and sunny and mild February afternoons, flying kites in the fields beyond our house at Marysville's city edge, or of bright and sunny and mild February afternoons grabbing lunch at a patio restaurant along Telegraph Avenue with friends and colleagues at my office at Cal, in the 1980s and 1990s.  February, typically, brings the first stretch of 70-plus temps and that, I guess, has always gotten me thinking about June...

I will be starting a seven-month sabbatical in June.  It is not a travel sabbatical, not a study sabbatical.  It is a work sabbatical (the work being our efforts at San Gabriel Media).  But I will be traveling a bit, this summer and fall, and I am beginning to sketch those plans now.  Among other joys, God willing, I will return to Paris and Casablanca for the first time since the shutdowns.  I have good friends in both cities and have missed them despite texts, e-mail and WhatsApp.  

The sabbatical itself, being work-oriented, will have me here at St. Clement the entire seven months.  There will be several trips to LA, as that is where a lot of our production at San Gabriel takes place, but on the whole, this is going to look and feel like a seven-month summer vacation, here in the parish.  I typically work 15-20 hours/week in the summers here in Hayward; just the basic parish routine, which I love.  Summers at St. Clement have been a joy to me since I arrived here ten years ago.  The sabbatical will simply extend that pattern to New Year's.  The parish is hardly going to know that I am, in fact, taking a sabbatical.  

The high school, on the other hand, will miss me.  But after consulting with my higher-ups there, all were agreed that I should return in January, 2026, rather than abandon Bishop O'Dowd and return to the parishes.  We will employ a long-term sub to cover my classes.  I plan to remain at O'Dowd several more years.  

In any event, as June is now just four months off, I am beginning to think about and plan for it -- and beyond.  I am looking forward to the second half of this year.  

I'll close it here.

Hope this finds you well and happy.  God bless.

Fr. Brawn