Spirituality of Mercy

 “To hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.” (LS 49)
 Earth and poor are both defenseless
 We can truly hear them and attend to them if we have Mercy
 A spirituality of mercy is a spirit-filled movement of the heart “to be merciful just
as God our Heavenly Father is merciful” (Lk 6:36). This spirituality arises from
our own experience of God’s mercy.
 3 Kinds of Poverty
 Material – we are most familiar with this kind of poverty when we speak about the
‘cry of the poor’.
 Spiritual - when you don’t know what you are doing, especially in the present;
you don’t know the meaning of what you are doing
 Soul – only using either the head or the heart and not both
 Rational - soul of humans
o 2 Faculties: Intellect (towards truth) and Will (towards good);
simply the head and the heart
o Remember: when we use the head and the heart, they must be
intertwined.
 We can hear and attend to the poor if we have mercy
o The reason why we love is because we were given love first “you cannot give
what you do not have,” “you cannot teach what you do not know.”
o Be merciful to others. It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.
o Mercy is our vocation as followers of Christ. We must take care of humans, the
environment, and non-humans such as animals.
 The spirituality of mercy lives both the corporal and spiritual actions of mercy.
 These are actions that bring God’s mercy to our neighbor especially the poor and the
oppressed, all those who are suffering.
 It becomes a deep spiritual experience when forgiveness and reconciliation are offered
toward our enemies – those who have wronged us, had caused us pain, anguish,
humiliation…misery.
 As followers of Christ, mercy is indeed our vocation
o Correspondingly, the spirituality of mercy that is truly faithful to God’s call is
holistic:
o Integral – everything is connected
 It therefore includes the natural world and is not merely extended to it but embraces
God’s creation – the environment and non-human creatures.
 Spirituality of Mercy: Addressing the Throw-Away Culture
o Similar to utilitarianism. You can stay around if you are useful or if you serve a
purpose.
 Evangelium Gaudium (EG no. 53) – fellow human beings
 Laudato Si’ (LS 123) – fellow human beings especially the poor
 LS no. 21 and 22 – with nature/environment/our planet
 Some human beings are excluded in the society and considered as leftover. They are
exploited, especially those who are considered rural poor. They do not get the help that
they need.
 Sawa (throw-away culture) vs Awa (culture of mercy)

Throw-Away Culture Culture of Mercy

Objectification Contemplation
Consumption Compassion
Maximization Care
Disposal Communion

 Crisis of Throw-Away
 Hedonism – doing things for pleasure; but humans are insatiable