Justice, Tenderness, Mercy
Read Time: 4.5 minutes
Justice is attentive to truth.
Tenderness is attentive to the person.
Mercy marries them in Redemption.
Mercy is based on love. It restores and builds relationship; punitive justice is destructive and is based on fear.
Yet angels, prophets and Jesus himself say to us, “Do not be afraid”. Scripture overflows with words of God’s tenderness, never ending mercy. Psalms sing about God, “slow to anger, quick to forgive”.
Scripture is the story of God’s revelation of God’s self to us — gradually revealing truth as we grow in understanding.
First, God taught us about “The Law” — following rules, and we thought that would earn God’s favour.
Then, God sent Prophets to teach us that beyond the Law was Justice: Caring and Empathy for others, and we thought we could earn our salvation.
Wisdom Books and Jesus teach us that our actions do matter, but having a wise, compassionate, and tender heart matters more. Such a heart knows the “why” of “what” we do. And we found that worshiping Jesus is easier than following Jesus.
Following the Law perfectly is impossible anyway; God knows that.
God also knows that the humility of self-awareness and gratitude for God’s merciful love, is the path of growth for our soul.
The three parables in Luke 15 speak of God’s approach to something that is “lost” — sheep, coin, and son. They represent “us” when we leave God foolishly, unknowingly, or rebelliously.
The shepherd and the woman search for their sheep and coin; the prodigal father waits patiently. All rejoice when what was lost is “found”.
The story of the Prodigal is most descriptive of God. It’s been called “The Gospel within the Gospel”. Theologians have said that if nothing else of the bible is read, the story of the Prodigal would give us the picture of God that the rest of the bible elaborates.
The prodigal father is a special description of God. The wayward son returns with speech rehearsed, expecting “punitive justice”. Instead, he receives “redemptive justice” — zero recrimination, zero blame, no probation/penance period, not even a scolding.
The humility of walking home expecting a Jewish father’s righteousness, became his “confession”; forgiveness is his father’s expression of love.
The older brother is the example of righteousness. His younger brother deserves, and “should be”, punished — and he is correct, “legally”.
The father exemplifies Grace — and Grace is not a matter of legality. It is neither deserved nor earned. Grace is gift. Grace is love at work. Grace always seeks relationship.
So, why does God rejoice in our confession and repentance?
Is it about reciting our list of wrongs, saying a penitential prayer, receiving penance and absolution? Don’t we so often go out and do it all over again, adding guilt with every repetition of the cycle.
Our confession is not a program for humiliation. It is our admission of weakness — not to God who knows all too well, but to ourselves.
Many have said that there is nothing we can do to make God love us more; there is also nothing we can do to make God love us less.
The issue is within us. We are the ones who control our little spigot of love — more to those who’ve “earned it”, less to those we decide don’t deserve it.
Our mistake is that we attribute that same stinginess to God.
The issue is that we do not — we simply cannot, appreciate how much we are loved.
We have all had our “moments close to God”, but too often those moments fade in the busy-ness and stresses of our lives. We forget how much we are loved. Sin, at its core, is a betrayal of love.
The difference between a “Saint” and the rest of us is that the Saint sustains the assurance of God’s love. When God’s love is in sight, the focus of life begins to shift from self to others.
In experiencing — and remembering, God’s redemptive love we are able to extend it to others.
When we receive Jesus in the Eucharist, we are rightfully awed by the love of God implicit in this gift.
God, with arms outstretched on the Cross invites us back to relationship.
Everything between the Incarnation and the Crucifixion is God demonstrating that God would rather die than live without us — the greatest expression of love possible.
God’s Love is beyond reason and is immeasurable. It infuses and transcends the universe. We come to life when we open our hearts and humbly accept it. Once accepted, our life’s goal is to share it.
Love is the only thing that grows as it is given away, both in the giver and in the receiver. We change. We become less concerned with worthiness, more accepting of Grace; less preoccupied about retribution, more able to give and receive mercy — “for in giving, we receive”*
Accepting the tender embrace of our prodigal God, our hearts become tender towards the world… and even towards ourselves.
*Prayer of St. Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is error, truth;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.