Lessons about God's mercy

Here is the text of the reflection I shared with those who came to pray with us this weekend: some thoughts about lessons from the greatest of teachers about the profound gift of mercy that God offers to his children.

A teachable moment

Anyone who interacts with children knows that there are moments in every day when all adults become teachers.  As newborn infants, children learn from their parents and they also learn from other adults who are part of their ever-widening circles of social interaction.  Then one day, they learn how to speak, and they discover the word: Why? – a whole new world of possibilities opens up, and it's theirs for the taking.  The occasions at which the question Why? is asked, we call teachable moments.  These include times when disciplinary action is called for, but also moments of wonder, confusion and surprise … sooner or later, children grow up, and there are other moments when students ask questions because they are seeking clarification, trying to truly comprehend the lesson that is being taught.

As these weeks of Lent progress, we will hear more about Jesus’ conversations with his disciples as he taught them about the Kingdom of God, but even today, we have a glimpse into one of the occasions when he was teaching the crowds.  Like good students, those who were gathered around were listening carefully, trying to understand.  The wisdom of the time believed that suffering was somehow tied to sinfulness, so when the people saw the Roman armies putting some of the Galileans to death (Lk 13:2), they thought that this was somehow a punishment, perhaps even tied to sin that had been committed.  I sometimes think that the concept of God’s Kingdom was as abstract to Jesus’ listeners as a University level class in advanced Biology, Mathematics, Chemistry or Physics would be to some of us.  The glassy-eyed look of incomprehension may very well have been staring back at him as he uttered the words: unless you repent, you will all perish (Lk 13:5).

The key to teaching is recognizing teachable moments and finding the right method to help the students understand.  For Jesus, the method of choice was storytelling.  Everyone loves stories, and all of those gathered around him could relate to the images he used.  They had all seen fig trees; they all knew that sometimes, new fruit trees took longer than usual to bear fruit; they understood well the temptation that a farmer might face if he discovered a tree that persistently bore no fruit.  There was little enough arable land as it was.  If a tree did not produce fruit, it would not last long, but this was precisely the lesson that Jesus wanted to teach.  The Roman armies had little patience for those who would not follow orders, but on the contrary, God our merciful and loving Father has infinite patience with us.

Even today, Jesus lesson is valid.  In many ways, our society is growing less and less patient.  Earlier this week, the Special Joint Committee of the Government of Canada on Physician Assisted Dying released its report, effectively outlining situations in which individuals should have the right to ask for medical assistance to terminate their own lives, yet the report fails to mention any reference to palliative care or home care as options for those who are suffering.  This too is a teachable moment, an occasion for us to stand up, as our Bishops have done this week, for the dignity of the human person and the flourishing of the human community (CCCB, Pastoral Statement for the Catholics of Canada).  We must constantly seek to protect and respect all human life from conception to natural death, and we must also demand freedom of conscience and religion for every person and every institution.

Like young Moses who was tending his father-in-law’s flock on the mount of Horeb, we must always be on the lookout for teachable moments: the experiences of God’s presence among us, whether in the form of a burning bush (cf Ex 3:2) or a gardener willing to tend a fig tree for another year (cf Lk 13:8) in hopes that it will finally bear fruit.  This is the wisdom of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy.  Pope Francis is inviting all of us to never lose sight of the fact that we are always and everywhere, students of the divine Teacher whose greatest lesson is the heart-felt experience of tender mercy.  God never tires of forgiving us; it is we who grow tired of asking for mercy.  Let us pray for the strength to be vigilant: to keep our eyes, our ears and our hearts open so that when the Lord comes and gently knocks at the doors of our hearts, we will be ready and willing to fling them wide open, to welcome him and to experience the great joy of his presence.