Blessed are the Merciful for they shall receive mercy. Matthew 5:7 ESV

In the middle of a crisis it feels good to find someone to blame, but it is far better to find someone to help. Last week in Casigno Italy, Father Giuseppe Berardelli died of the Covid-19 virus after giving his respirator away to a younger patient. His  act of sacrificial love is the example of the mercy of Jesus Christ that we all need to learn while we are passing through this valley of the shadow of death.

We are all only on this planet for so long and for all of us our final day will come. We have to choose how our lives will be remembered. When we are gone from this place will people first mention the beauty of our home or the vintage of our car? Will they discuss the brilliance of our investment strategy or the universities we sent our children to? Or will we be remembered as the landlord who forgave the rent, the mechanic who repaired someone’s car for free or the nurse who held a patient’s hand as they drew their last breath?

Mercy is like a flower whose seeds are given to us. We have an opportunity to plant them in the lives of people all around us. Remember that the greatest mercy of all was planted one late afternoon outside of Jerusalem 2,000 years ago as Jesus looked out from His cross and cried, “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing!” Now He puts that mercy into our hands. So why not look for a way to plant mercy in the heart of someone else today? Remember  the words of Jesus when He said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”