Viktor Kevin S.

Rubio – 1D

Sem 2 Final Paper – Dean Bryan Bustamante

The chapter assigned to us talks about the concept of mercy and how it is a fundamental

virtue that encompasses the catholic church, its members, and its way of life and teaching.

First, it discusses the “Precept of Mercy” and its role in the Catholic church and its

members. It is stressed in the text that mercy is not only a virtue to be exercised by individual

members or Christians; rather, it is a virtue that makes the Church itself. It is founded on the

supposition that God, through his son Jesus Christ, sought to spread and imbibe love and mercy

to all people. That since the Church, on a macro-scale, is the body of Christ, then the Church

itself is a product of this Divine Mercy; and so, by extension, such virtue is passed on to its

members.

It is also discussed that the mercy being spoken of here is not the kind that is self-

righteous. Rather, it is the kind that is ready and willing to understand; that mercy ought to be

given not from a pedestal. Furthermore, it emphasizes that mercy and charity are egregious

values and are borne out of the Divine Grace. Elsewise stated, the precept of mercy is to be

understood not as a private undertaking, but a way of life.

The author recognizes certain crises being experienced by the Church as an institution

today, such as contemporary Christians no longer valuing the sacrament of reconciliation (and

therefore the precept of mercy) and the Church being bourgeois overtime. Thus, the rest of the

text proposes a three-fold way to give a new push to the value of mercy and the sacrament of

reconciliation: 1) The Church must proclaim the mercy of God; 2) It must concretely and visibly
provide the sacrament of mercy; and 3) It must allow mercy to be realized concretely in its

structures, its entire life, and its laws.

Anent the first step—it is said by the author that the proclamation must be adjusted to the

ways of contemporary life. Thus, it must not be “vague, philosophical, or abstract”, not “banal”,

“saccharine”, nor “vengeful or judgmental.” The sacrament of mercy must be taught in the way

that people can actually apply them in real life. The author proposes this to be done by way of

biblical stories, or by relating such stories to people on a personal level. By doing so, the author

posits, the Church can make people discover God through their own stories.

The second step talks about the actual sacrament as they are observed in the Church. The

author informs that penance is not as celebrated as it was in the olden days. It is said that younger

Christians no longer see the need for penance or reconciliation because such contemporary

believers have “absolutely no more experiences that require confession.” That most of these

contemporaries tend to blame the system rather than focus inwardly. To alleviate the issue, the

author posits that the Church should strive to prove that reconciliation or penance as a church

practice is more than just casting off one’s burden. The Church must emphasize that in

reconciliation, one is not only removing a burden, but is also being given the Divine Mercy.

The third step talks about praxis, or application of such values visibly, inside and outside

of the church walls. It is admitted by the author that the Church is judged largely by its deed and

not by its words nowadays; that it is criticized by not practicing what it preaches. In this light, the

author therefore proposes that the Church must have a heart for those who are down-trodden. In

other words, the Church must welcome precisely those who are unwelcomed by the larger

society. Such visible practice of Church teachings, the author adds, must extend beyond material

assistance; it must also act compassionately to those who need it.

 Right off the bat, I feel it necessary to preempt my views by saying that I am not a

believer. I was born and raised Catholic but I have long been disillusioned. This notwithstanding,

I can still say that I recognize and appreciate the practical value of religion as a whole. In fact, I

very much appreciate and commend the philosophy of Jesus Christ—love, mercy, and

compassion to others. The way the chapter was written, I believe, bears semblance to what

Christian values are supposed to espouse in the first place.

The author notes that the Church, its teachers, and its members should approach the

concept of mercy not in a self-righteous way but in a compassionate manner; that it must teach

and live its life not from a moral high-horse but from a place of understanding. As critical of

religion as I am, I can still safely say that this philosophy is nothing but commendable. I have

nothing ill to speak of this perspective. Religion viewed and exercised with this as a guide should

bear nothing but good in society. However, that is clearly not the case in actuality. Whether the

Church leaders themselves or mere members of whatever Christian sect, the actions I perceive

from them are opposite of the doctrine the author herein espouses. This, I believe, is one of the

biggest problems of the Catholic church, or any Christian sect in the country for that matter.

The author speaks of people who are “only superficially in the church but have their

hearts outside the church.” This is the biggest issue I have with the Church and its members.

Permit me to make claims based solely on anecdotes and personal experiences. I personally

know a great number of people who appear to be very pious or religious. They serve the Church

in various ways. They teach the words of God as they appear in the Bible. They participate in

many a community outreach. They do volunteer work in the name of their Christian sect. These

people act virtuously and act for laudable purposes. However, outside of their church work, these
very same people are the most hypocritical, judgmental, and morally high-handed persons I

know. They are the first to attend masses. They are first to speak of their religious doctrines.

They are also first to judge those who do not fall under their definition of what is “proper.”

I do not aim to make a sweeping generalization of all who practice religion. However, the

number of people I know of who claim to be pious, yet remain completely devoid of empathy

towards those marginalized in society, are too many in number. I simply cannot ignore them. I

do not know for sure nor make any brazen claims about whether or not these people are good

representatives of their respective churches. The fact remains, however, that these people exist

and are people who claim to live the Christian life. Yet, it seems to me that their actions cannot

be farther from what Christ originally taught. Jesus Christ is said to have often fraternized with

the outcasts of society. His acts of treating prostitutes with kindness was controversial in his

time. From what limited knowledge of Christ I know, he at least seems to have exuded

compassion and understanding—more so to those ostracized by society at large. However, a lot

of Christians today seems to be doing the opposite of just that. Various Christian sects, even the

Catholic church at times, tend to push their brand of morality onto everyone and cast aspersion to

those who believe otherwise. This seems an anathema to what I know of Christ’s teachings; yet

this seems to be a prevailing theme.

To reiterate, I find laudable the expressions of the author that the Church should seek to

redefine the value of mercy. Love and mercy really ought to be the central theme of the Church’s

acts and words. If things really went as the author proposes they should, I would definitely be

more accepting of formal religion. I have heard a few Benedectine Monks talk about the value of

mercy and reconciliation as a sacrament: they spoke with so much empathy and seemed to act

accordingly. It warms my heart that to know that there are truly pious men who virtually live out
the values and teachings of Christ. However, this is not what I see from actual church members

who are out and about, interacting daily with the society at large. On this score, I thus find

myself agreeing with the author: the Church needs to revisit and rediscover the virtue of Divine

Mercy in its life, teachings, laws, and especially members.