Be merciful

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C
Gospel: Lk. 19: 1-10
"Today, salvation has come to this house, for this is what it means to be a son of Abraham."

We have witnessed the Jubilee year which comes around every 50 years and is officially declared by the Holy Father as a "time of grace, peace, and justice." The Jubilee year has its roots in Jewish tradition as a new beginning, when all debts are repudiated, and the poor are given the chance to live.

The message of the Jubilee year is none other than the overwhelming mercy of God to us.

We can only hope that each day could be a time of grace and peace. But instead of grace, sin fills the world; instead of forgiveness, retaliation; instead of charity, apathy. There is a wound in every heart that keeps on bleeding; and this is brought about by selfishness. Could the overwhelming mercy of the Lord still find its way in every heart enough to transform it according to His merciful heart?

Yes, it can still be possible, if we only knew that each day is a miracle, at time for us to be agents of grace. If we realize that another day is added to our lives only because God wills it so, then we would know how to use it, not to further our greed and selfishness, but to live in love and giving.

Only mercy can heal the world. Jesus showed it to Zaccheus and he became free. It's time that we practice mercy to ourselves and others and give every person a chance to live.