The Reciprocity of Mercy

Posted on July 29, 2025 by Father Joe

Matthew 6:14-15 echoes the admonition in the Lord’s Prayer that we will be forgiven by God just as we forgive others. Charity and mercy are the keys to the door of heaven. But it must be properly understood. I have heard ministers preach upon this subject in a wrong-headed manner. It is not a bargaining with God. We have nothing with which we can bargain. Salvation is always a gift and cannot be merited apart from Christ. The secret is not in the deal but with transformation. If we forgive as Christ does then the Father will recognize his Son in us. Jesus pleads for us on the Cross, asking the Father to forgive us as sinners, arguing that we really do not know what we are doing. Jesus dies not for the innocent but for the guilty. If we want to take advantage of this mercy then we must imitate Jesus. That is how we show that we are kindred to him, related on a spiritual level as brothers and sisters to Christ, adopted sons and daughters of the Father. It is by giving away mercy that we make room in our hearts for receiving the pardon and saving grace of God.

We think too much of the body and too little about the soul. Luke 12:4-5 warns us to fear the one who has the authority to cast souls into hell. St. Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:9-10 reminds us that no one properly has this power other than Christ, not evil men, not even the devil. We wrongly shy away from the Fear of the Lord, which is a gift of the Holy Spirit. But Jesus is both the Divine Mercy and the Divine Justice. He is the judge of all. I suspect that redefining Fear of the Lord as Awe or Reverence tends to diminish something of the fear and trembling that should normally characterize the approach of a finite creature to the judging gaze of almighty God. It is true that God is all good but the problem is that we are often far from this goodness. This fearfulness is not just about who God is but about who we have failed to become. Many seem to have no shame about their iniquity and weakness. Few go to confession because there is a lack of contrition or sorrow for sin. We must not be precipitous of divine mercy or take the gifts that God offers for granted.

If we do not love God sufficiently to avoid offending him then we should at least fear the loss of heaven and the pains of hell. Ultimately God gives us what we truly want. Regrettably, we can compromise ourselves. Many display cowardice to evil men and submit to their intimidation. Many cower in facing the devil and wrongly give him power over them. Weak believers have literally laid down their shields, armor and weapons in the face of the legions of hell. All must be urged to take them up. We have the sacraments! We have the saving Word! We have the communion of the saints! We have the mystery of the Church! We can have in abundance the saving grace that the devil has forfeited! We must not forget that we are a parable people who follow a parable Savior. Jesus turns weakness and death into strength and life. He turns his defeat into his great victory.

Our Lord’s admonition to his friends, “Be not afraid,” should be clarified. It is first a necessary declaration given the surprise of his resurrection. Next, while Jesus would not have his disciples take light of the earthly and spiritual perils that face them; he is telling them that if they follow him, even to the Cross, they need not be afraid, because he has won the great victory. If we truly love the Lord, acknowledging with regret how our sins sent him to his passion and the Cross, then we can approach our Judge, the risen Christ, with hope and courage. If we have failed to love the Lord as we should, and have only imperfect contrition, then we have every reason to fear punishment, either temporarily in purgatory or even worse, eternally in hell. While Fear of the Lord can be saving, fear of the devil signals a deficiency in faith.