The Sainthood Challenge Day 18: The Merciful

I don't think there is anything more controversial than the Beatitudes. As I go through the week and reflect on them, I become more convicted that Jesus, in proclaiming them in the Sermon on the Mount, knew their life changing ability, but also the ability of each of them to convict people when lived out.

Take today's Challenge: Mercy.

Now you may think that mercy means simply forgiving someone and letting them go on their way, meaning that we have to release prisoners, stop punishing people. Unlike yesterday's meek peacemakers, the merciful is not someone who allows others to simply walk all over them.

Far from it. So strong in their resolve to be saints, the merciful, by their very actions, display for others the behavior that causes outrage, controversy, and disdain. Why is that the case with the merciful?

Think about it this way.

Jesus, countless times, illustrated that we needed to forgive people who owed money to us. That we needed to give away things that we have if we have more than enough. That we needed to be the first to show the world the meaning of mercy. That we needed to never expect repayment, but be the first to repay others.

This means that mercy hurts. It means that if I give money away, I don't have that money to take care of my responsibilities. Often when it comes to the concept of tithing, we think it is nice in theory. We believe that we should tithe and so when it comes time for a charity drive or it comes time for the basket to be passed at church, we throw in a couple bucks and consider our tithe made.

That isn't Biblical and it isn't the tradition of tithing.

The tradition is ten percent and it goes back to the offering of Abraham to Melchizidek. That isn't the maximum. It is the minimum.

I am hardly the first person that anyone should be going to for advice on financial matters, but I do know that if God is not the God of our finances, then we are missing out on a key element of our lives. Especially in a society that is driven by financial gain.

So today's challenge is a practical one. Make a budget. Or remake your budget. Insure that ten percent of your income is slated to be given away. If you can give away more, then do so.

Five percent should be given to the place where you worship. I have worked with enough parishes to say that the amount of people who put in two dollars to the basket is astronomically high. Two dollars. Most times they even put it in an envelope so they can get the tax deduction. I would venture a guess that somewhere that borders on pathetic.

I did the math once and figured out that if each parish's participating families gave five percent of the average household income every week, Catholic elementary school would be free. Not only that, but think about the ministry that could be done if your Church brought in three to five million dollars a year. No more building fund drives. No more special sales. A Church driven by true mercy.

There should be another five percent that you commit to giving away where you see fit. A charity. A drive to fight a disease. It is your choice. Perhaps you hold it in a separate savings account and then give it away in a super act of generosity.

The point is this, when we understand the concept that we give away to God, we are able to grasp the idea that the more we give, the more we grow. We distance ourselves from our possessions. We grow in the ability to sacrifice in love. The ability to love in such a way that it goes beyond counting out ten percent. It becomes a part of our being.

We start to live the ideal of Christian community that is found in the Acts of the Apostles, where no on in the community wanted for anything because everyone filled the needs of others. That is living true mercy. Perhaps one day, The Sainthood Project can grow to become an agent of that charity and mercy. For now, let's start with ourselves.

In the place where no one in our lives wants for anything, true Charity thrives.

In the place where no one needs for anything, true mercy thrives.

That hardly means we open the doors to our prisons. That hardly means we allow people to treat us as doormats.

It means that we open the doors to our hearts. It means that we throw out the welcome mats to our souls.