Talk 6 The Beatitudes
#5 Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy.
What's the meaning of mercy?
Mercy is compassion or forgiveness shown towards someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm, or to withhold forgiveness from.
Mercy is the kindness that makes us forgive someone, usually someone that we have authority over.
In this spiritual context, I see mercy as respecting another person's dignity, especially when they are in some type of difficult or even unsavoury condition.
What's the opposite?
Hard-heartedness, pitilessness, ruthlessness, retaliation, vindictiveness and cruelty are the opposite of mercy, all of which undermine the dignity of the person.
What is the context of mercy in the Beatitudes?
In the last talk, we considered the fourth beatitude: "Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness, they shall be filled." This fourth step on the ladder is a real mile stone on the journey up. There has been the acknowledgement of emptiness (#1); which naturally leads to mourning (#2), which in turn can either lead to a hardened heart, or a heart of flesh which seeks righteousness. In the latter case, for the one who has become meek through mourning, the fourth step is a golden one, for it is the beginning of the mission. To seek the Righteous One not only through interior practice, but through service in the world.
If, with a heart of flesh, we step into the field of unrighteousness, we are stepping into a dark place for the sake of one another; to bring light to that darkness. As we enter into situations that may be tough, demoralising, exhausting or painful, we again need to ensure that our heart remains one of flesh. When we step into the field of unrighteousness, in our hunger to realise the Righteous One and to do so through action in the world, we must do so meekly to allow that fulfilment to come, and we must also exercise mercy for the doers of unrighteousness: the abusers, the perpetrators and the wrong doers. We need a spirit of forgiveness, so that we do not get caught in the dvanda (pairs of opposites) of time and space, such as right and wrong, good and bad, forgive or condemn, and instead keep our eye single on the Essence of the person, even of the perpetrator, which is Divine.
What's to be renounced?
In this teaching, the main false god to be renounced is that of power: using our position of power to dismiss, disregard, condemn or humiliate another, or withhold pardon, rather than respect the dignity of the person.
Indian Saints
"In turn, mercy is the fruit of this desire for and attachment to God, a kind of yogic radiance of inner calm, by which one is now able to feel and share the joys and sorrows of those around us, as ours too" according to the reading of Swami Prabhavananda (from the text of Francis X. Cloony).
This point by Swami Prabhavananda is so important: "one is now able to feel and share the joys and sorrows of those around us, as ours too". We are engaging with the One Self. Our mourning has created a meek nature with a heart of flesh, with which we gently step out to find the Righteous One, often in the dark places. Mercy is asked of us as we act as a channel for the Light of Righteousness to shine upon others, including those whom society may condemn.
The last two of the eleven principles listed by Mahatma Gandhi for the sadhaka (spiritual aspirant) reflect this beatitude's teaching on mercy:
10. Swadeshi - Duty Towards the Neighbour: Gandhi respected an ancient ideal which says that one's first duty was to one's neighbours.
11. Asprishyata - Navaran- Removal of untouchability: We are to mix freely with all people, no one is to be seen as untouchable or "lower".
Swami Sivananda calls this beatitude: "Mercy: A Divine Virtue". He reflected: "God gives you opportunities galore to exercise the divine qualities that are latent in you so that you can become perfect, even as He is perfect. The beggar at your door; the orphan on the road; the naked, the unlettered, the hungry and the diseased children of God – they are there to provide chances to exercise the divine mercy in you."
When we reach out to 'the beggar, the orphan, the naked, the unlettered, the hungry and the diseased', we also step into a difficult space where we become aware of who and what has led to such poverty. We must step in and exercise mercy in that space, including for the perpetrator.
This fifth step requires inner strength and commitment. That commitment needs to have already been established and enacted in the previous step: to hunger and thirst for righteousness. To hunger and thirst for righteousness is not a part-time activity, charitable hobby, voluntourism in a third world country, or an experience met out of curiosity to see the plight of some marginalised group. To hunger and thirst for righteousness is a whole approach to life. Without commitment and preparation through the first four steps, including going into our own inner poverty, mourning and developing meekness, we will not last the journey. Without sufficient preparation and commitment, instead of developing mercy, we might instead stall.
Without that commitment, we will quickly become exhausted or demoralized. We will need to persevere when the times get tough. Righteousness is selfless, not selfish. It will involve sacrifice. Fulfillment will only come with right motivation and commitment and single pointedness of vision on the Righteous One. Without that right motivation, we will still be empty. If the act of charity, for example, is just for a personal feel-good, then after the act, emptiness will return again. We would still just be kept tied in worldliness.
To live this beatitude of righteousness is to practice karma yoga: selfless service. I do the action, and that is all, without expectation of result, regardless of the result or any effect that may come my way.
We need to be well-established in right motivation in our mission/ calling/ service that evolves out from this fourth beatitude, and accompanied by mercy, as the terrain can be tough. We need to be merciful, because without that spirit of mercy, there is the chance, yet again, that our hearts could harden.
God is in all people and all people deserve mercy. So often, in the highly sensitive areas of domestic violence and sexual abuse, the perpetrators are utterly trodden down upon, yet they too need our love and help. We must show mercy to the current-day untouchables: the preying pedophile, the violent husband, the abusive mother; otherwise, we cannot progress further to purity of heart (beatitude #6) or to being a peacemaker (beatitude #7). Mercy, mercy, mercy.
When mercy is shown to the perpetrator, this can help the person uncover their own Truth and face the reality of their past actions. An example of this is found in the true story of Sister Helen, who served as spiritual advisor to Poncelet, a man on death row, and as documented in the book and film "Dead Man Walking". Having previously maintained that he was innocent of the murders of two teenagers, through the unconditional love and mercy of Sister Helen, he comes to face the truth, and in doing so he himself shows mercy to the victims' families, and then in turn the family of the murdered boy also shows mercy, and Sister Helen too is surrounded by mercy. "Blessed are the merciful, for mercy they will find."
To quote some of the storyline straight from Wikipedia: "Poncelet asks Sister Helen to be his spiritual adviser through the day of execution, and she agrees. Sister Helen tells Poncelet that his redemption is possible only if he takes responsibility for what he did. Just before he is taken from his cell, Poncelet admits to Sister Helen that he killed the boy and raped the girl. As he is prepared for execution, he appeals to the boy's father for forgiveness and tells the girl's parents he hopes his death brings them peace. Poncelet is executed and later given a proper burial. The murdered boy's father attends the ceremony still filled with hate, but shortly after begins to pray with Sister Helen, ending the film."
"God is all mercy". When we practise mercy, we experience God, we receive mercy. It's actually a gift to be merciful because it means the divine quality is acting through us, to touch others, and in that way we have a connection point with the Divine; we too obtain mercy.
Pope Francis and Mercy
Pope Francis dedicated the year from December 2015 to November 2016 as the "Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy". A book was published early in 2016, based on an interview with the pope on the theme, and was published as "The Name of God is Mercy".
Here is an article related to one story the Pope shared on how he came to learn the meaning of mercy. Some of the text of that article is copied below. To read the full text see:
Vatican City, Jan 13, 2016 / 03:02 am ().- When Pope Francis was a parish priest in Argentina, he met a mother with young children who had been abandoned by her husband.
She had no steady income. When odd jobs were scarce, she would prostitute herself in order to feed her children and provide for her family. During that time, she would visit the local parish, which tried to help her by offering food and material goods.
One day during the Christmas season the mother visited and requested to see the parish priest, Father Jorge Bergoglio. He thought she was going to thank him for the package of food the parish had sent to her.
"Did you receive it?" Fr. Bergoglio had asked her.
"Yes, yes, thank you for that, too," the mother explained. "But I came here today to thank you because you never stopped calling me Señora."
The Holy Father recalled this touching memory in the sixth chapter of the book The Name of God is Mercy...
This experience with the young mother profoundly touched Pope Francis, who said it taught him the importance of treating every human person with dignity and mercy, no matter their situation in life.
"Experiences like this teach you how important it is to welcome people delicately and not wound their dignity," Pope Francis stated in the book.
"For her, the fact that the parish priest continued to call her Señora, even though he probably knew how she led her life during the months when she could not work, was as important – or perhaps even more important than – the concrete help that we gave her," the Holy Father continued.
Through various stories told throughout the interview, such as the encounter with the prostitute, Pope Francis revealed that the most important thing for every man and woman is not that they should never fall – but rather that they should always get back up.
"For as long as we are alive it is always possible to start over, all we have to do is let Jesus embrace us and forgive us," the Holy Father stated in the book.
"There is medicine, there is healing, we only need to take a small step toward God, or at least express the desire to take it," he continued, saying "a tiny opening is enough."
The Story of Caroline
I share a story also of a woman who helped me to understand the meaning of mercy. I met Caroline in remote Australia in 2005 and, to use the words of Pope Francis, she taught me "how important it is to welcome people delicately and not wound their dignity," and that this is a means of living mercy.
I placed a sign outside my home early one Saturday morning advertising a garage sale. I also said a prayer: "If there is anyone who is in need of all this stuff, for free, please let it be known to me."
A woman stopped by as I was setting up. She looked around at everything that had been inside my home.
"Can I help you?" I asked.
"Ah, no, it's not for me." The woman came from the nearby Aboriginal community where she worked with families affected by domestic violence.
"There's one woman, she's presently at the women's refuge. She's got three kids. We've been able to find her a house but she has absolutely nothing to put in it. You know, it's only one or two women every couple of years who actually break the cycle and get out of these abusive situations. Most just keep coming to the shelter when things get too tough, and then make their way back home when things have settled down. But there's one woman there now, Caroline, and she's committed to get out. As I say, we've got the house but she's got nothing to put in it and only a little bit of money on her. I'm just looking to see if there might be anything here she could afford."
I took the sign down and told her to send a truck around. Soon after, Caroline, shy yet bubbly, arrived with her teenage daughter at the back gate. Through the support worker, she had been able to borrow a truck from the community centre. The interior décor for their new home sat in my backyard. They glanced over the items approvingly.
Out went all the gear – bed linen, kitchen items, pegs and paper bins, table and six chairs, beds and it went on. I couldn't have been happier as I saw it all piled onto the back of the truck. It was ready to go.
Caroline came up to me shyly. "I have to give you something," she said self-consciously. "Here, will you take this?" She handed me a crumpled up red twenty dollar note. To me, it was worth a stack of a hundred.
"Thank you", I said, sincerely.
Nearby, the woman I had met earlier smiled emotionally, understanding how important it was for Caroline that she be able to offer something, and that it be accepted; essentially, that her dignity be respected.
Caroline and I gave each other a big hug and then she jumped into the truck and moved towards her new life.
We all have our journeys. Sometimes leaving a situation where one is trapped in a destructive cycle perpetuated over years, and saying "enough!" is one of the most courageous and heroic acts of all. The least any one of us can do is to gently support the other – the One Self - in her efforts and in doing so, respect her dignity, show mercy.
Livelihood
What opportunities might we have to show mercy in our areas of livelihood such as by helping clients; being there to back up a colleague who is struggling to meet a deadline because of home stress; going that extra mile for a student or patient.
Who do we potentially have authority over? Where might we have the opportunity to enact mercy rather than self-centred power, passion or prestige?
Does our work bring us into contact with certain groups of people that leads to us having greater understanding and compassion?
Could we do some work with people we feel an aversion towards?
I met a German woman during the peak of the Syrian refugee movement into Europe. She was full of hate and anger at the Syrians for their 'invasion' into 'her' country, and she was really quite merciless towards them. At the same time, she was a spiritual seeker and felt awful that such mercilessness was in contradiction to the path she ideally longed to follow.
After many conversations with her on this, it would appear that she indeed knew the emptiness (#1), certainly experienced mourning (#2), and may also have meekened (#3), but her progress seemed to stop there. She admitted that she enjoyed the ideal of spirituality, and reading inspiring spiritual books and the solace she found there, but she did not want to put down the books and stop attending the pleasant spiritual retreats to enter into difficult spaces. She was struggling at the stage of hungering and thirsting for righteousness. That is the rung of the ladder where the inner life takes form in the world, and then we are filled. She was not filled. "Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness, they will be filled." She was actually trapped inside her own little 'spiritual bubble'.
One solution may have been for her to actually step out and work with the refugees as a volunteer, such as a teacher of German. Sometimes we have to really push ourselves out of our comfort zone for the well-being of one another. To do that, we must hunger and thirst for the Absolute Righteous One, and be prepared to meet It in the way of 'be good, do good'. This requires strength and enacting mercy, and it requires letting go of any sense of me and mine.
She refused the work of moving out of herself for the other whom she found abhorrent, and it would therefore also be a long step to finding mercy. We can't skip rungs on the ladder. The poor woman was not filled and found no mercy to her own inner torment, for to find Mercy we must live it.
The Next Talk
We can get stuck at any rung on the ladder. We need to keep climbing up (through sadhana, sangha and seva). As we progress, we move further and further away from the known and into the Unknown. Ah, but the rewards! In the next talk we will reflect on beatitude #6 "Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God." It's worth the climb!