Friday of week 4 in Ordinary Time, 1

Faces of unmercy

Mark 6:14-29

I would not want to dwell with unmercy or ruthlessness.  But in reflecting about it, the more we turn to mercy.

First, mercy is related with a steadfastness of faith

A shallow faith is totally unacceptable.  It just leads us to compromise our values.  Herod's weakness led him to the death of the innocent John the Baptist

Second, mercy affects our attitudes and behaviors

The letter to the Hebrews challenges our views and attitudes on specific issues - our attitudes to the sick and those in prison, welcoming strangers and treating them as friends, weeding out greed, and leadership from the point of view of God, and many others.  The assembly was an assembly of leaders, but they all took part in killing John.  They all sacrificed their values.

Third, mercy is life

In the end, it is John who lives forever in our minds and hearts while Herod, his mistress and daughter, and all cohorts pass through history with shameful identities.  Whatever we do in this world accounts for what we shall be in Heaven.

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