Some diversions from Christ Jesus’ Way are obvious, others more subtle. Worshipping a golden calf, today’s first reading, would fit the obvious category. Losing ourselves to a life of greed, abuse, or various superficialities would as well. What about subtle diversions? Diversions so slight we are unaware of having gone astray. Years go by, even centuries, and we find ourselves with millions of other people who call themselves Christian on a path that diverges from Jesus’ Gospel witness.
Is it possible mercy is a subtle diversion from Jesus? Mercy is defined as the discretionary power of a judge to pardon an offender. It fits the description of Yahweh in the Old Testament as he deals with the people who made the golden calf. They beg for mercy. Begging for mercy is required from those who worship Yahweh. Earthly judges follow the example of the Heavenly Judge. (It actually works the other way around. Earthly judges invented the heavenly judge Yahweh.) Judges have developed a system of offenses and punishment for common people who are expected to beg for mercy and rarely get it. But what if mercy, as described in the Old Testament, is a self-serving value of the privileged class and the gods, like Yahweh, they invent? For example, judges punish people who break border laws and come into the U.S. from Mexico. Offenders beg for mercy and rarely get it. But in 1845 that same privileged class broke border laws and went into Mexico and never left. How has the privileged class begged for mercy in the years since? They have not. The privileged class doesn’t beg for mercy. They might rarely do so if caught in egregious crimes. Even then they usually work out deals with their privileged friends. (e.g. Wall Street bailouts) Mercy is the stuff of privilege. It is a subtle diversion from Jesus who never required people beg for mercy from him.
Mercy is a diversion from Jesus’ way of compassion. Compassion is the quality Jesus shows in this Sunday’s Gospel when speaking to a Pharisee. The Pharisee is judging people as sinners and requiring they beg for mercy. Jesus in his compassion doesn’t require people to come before him or any member of the privileged class and beg. Jesus’ compassion compels all of us to extend love and provide for people in need.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, my heart is open to sharing compassionate love.
Question: If mercy is a diversion from compassion, is Yahweh a diversion from Jesus?
September 15, 2013 Gospel Luke 15:1-32 Twenty Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time