Matthew 12: 1-8
At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the sabbath; his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. When the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath.” He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him or his companions to eat, but only for the priests. Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath the priests in the temple break the sabbath and yet are guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.”
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Small Acts of Mercy
“I desire mercy, not sacrifice”
In today’s Gospel it seems to me that Jesus’ disciples were not the only ones picking something that day. The Pharisees certainly were being “picky” and clinging to their rules for the sabbath.
This is a good reminder for me to ask, what am I clinging to each day that has me missing an opportunity to be merciful? Perhaps it’s my to-do list or my expectations for the day that are suddenly disrupted by someone’s need and there goes the momentum for the day.
But maybe these disruptions are instead opportunities to practice acts of mercy. So how do I make this a daily priority? I think a good first step is to be merciful with myself. I don’t naturally see how God sees from all angles, so I need to ask him for his guidance each day. When I loosen by grip on my expectations for the day and instead ask God for his guidance in seeking out acts of mercy my eyes become wide open to the possibilities. There are so many acts of mercy right in front of me: the stranger who needs assistance getting off the bus; a family member who feels overwhelmed and could use a hand; a friend who lost a loved one and just needs me to sit quietly by their side; or someone across the world I don’t even know who is suffering and I can offer a prayer for their well-being right now in this moment.
What I’ve experienced is that when I extend acts of mercy, I feel an inner peace, and it resets the busyness of my day. It helps me refocus on what matters eternally—not my to-do list but rather showing my deep gratitude to God for the ultimate act of mercy: saving my soul, and all humanity, through his death on the cross.
—Margie O'Neill is the director of planned giving and recurring gifts for the Midwest Jesuits.
Prayer
Lord, guide my heart and my actions today so that I may, as Mother Teresa said “do small things with great love.” Amen.
—Jesuit Prayer team