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Happy Aloha Friday, Beloved!
Continuing with Mercy, last week I said I would like to look at the spiritual Works of Mercy. Here they are again:
Spiritual works of mercy
1. Admonish sinners,
2. Instruct the uninformed,
3. Counsel the doubtful,
4. Comfort the sorrowful,
5. Be patient with those in error,
6. Forgive offenses,
7. Pray for the living and the dead.
That first one is always the one where the brakes start squealing. Our overly-Politically-Correct society tells us we are supposed to use relativistic ethics or what the “pholks” in the philosophy department call Moral Relativism. It’s along the line of “What’s true for me may not be true for you. There is no universal moral standard by which to judge others, we ought to tolerate the behavior of others even when it runs counter to our personal or cultural moral standards. There cannot be any single objective standard for moral judgments on any matter.” Pontius Pilate sort of hit the nail on the head when he asked, “What is Truth?” Every time I hear this, I remember a story told by Frank Peretti. I first heard it in a tape recording of one of his speaking engagements, and later read it (I think) in The Chair. Check out Frank Peretti: http://www.frankperetti.com/
A radio talk-show host asks, “What truth? How can I know that what you are telling me is true?” Frank responds,
“There’s no way for you to know whether what I’m telling you is true unless you know what the truth is. And there’s no way for you to know what the truth is unless there is a truth that you can know. (If you’re searching for the truth, and there is none, then what are you searching for?) You’ve got to have a truth that true whether you believe it or not. It is a truth that is true whether you like it or not. It’s true whether you even know about it or not. It’s just TRUE: OBJECTIVE EXTERNAL ETERNAL TRUTH THAT STANDS IN AND OF ITSELF.”
— Frank Perretti http://www.frankperetti.com
So “Admonish sinners?” Sure. Not a problem. If you know the Truth, that is. THE REAL, OBJECTIVE, EXTERNAL, ETERNAL, TRUTH THAT STANDS IN AND OF ITSELF is what helps all humankind know the difference between right and wrong, good and bad, acts of sin and acts of righteousness. The Accuser likes to make us think that the lines are blurry and the criteria for differentiation are flexible. Not if you know The Truth. Oh, the Accuser is correct in stating the half-truth (one of his specialties) that as humans we can never know The Whole Truth and Nothing but The Truth because we are human and therefore imperfect.
So how do you do that, admonish sinners? Check out what Paul says about it in Galatians 6:1-10: 1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, 5 for each one should carry his own load. 6 Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor. 7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
To Admonish is 1 a : to indicate duties or obligations to b : to express warning or disapproval to especially in a gentle, earnest, or solicitous manner 2 : to give friendly earnest advice or encouragement to another. Look up ADMONISH (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/admonish). If you know someone who is doing something wrong, tell him or her earnestly in a friendly way to consider the consequences as those are likely to be negative outcomes and encourage them to do things that reap positive outcomes rather than things to satisfy their selfishness.
Short version: If you know persons who are doing something wrong, let them know that the consequences are likely to be negative IF THEY STOP. Not too hard, is it?
Once that “really hard one” is out of the way, actually, the rest of them are not a big deal. Instruct the uninformed? In matters of faith when you can, as well as in matters of practicality when you can. Remember ignorance is usually treatable. Stupidity is often fatal. Save a life! Correct the uninformed and assist the misinformed.
Counsel the doubtful? About matters of faith? Sure, if you are confident in your own faith. If not, hmmm, maybe you could get some counseling? That counts, too. Counsel the doubtful about other things that make them uncomfortable with the truth? Sure! Find out together. Best way to learn is to teach.
Comfort the sorrowful? Of course! Don’t we all do that whenever we can?
Be patient with those in error? About the faith? Sure! You’ve been there, right? About everything else? Why not? Wouldn’t you want them to be patient with you when you’re out of bounds or just being foolish? Can you be a wee-bit more patient with the drivers who obviously have no regard for your safety? J!
Forgive offenses? Absolutely! When you nurture a grudge it takes so much care and feeding to keep it going. Let the thing starve to death by forgiving every offense. For some of us it takes a little longer to get there, but it is definitely worth the trip (and worth the wait if you are expecting an apology).
Pray for the living and the dead? Capital idea! The MBN specializes in praying for the living, and praying for, with, and about the dead is a cultural reality for about as long as there have been humans. Not a problem!
So there you have it, seven ways to enrich your life, and not one of them is complicated or really even mildly scary.
Quickly then, here is today’s installment from 52 Verses. You’ve read it recently, I am sure of that. Galatians 6:9-10
(NAB) 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
(KJV) 9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. 10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
See? It’s good to do good deeds as often as you can. Spiritual works of Mercy are actually good Good Deeds!
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service.
Pray for ALL the people to know The Truth and know how to act on it; and especially remember these who have requested our intercessions: MN, JB, JM, JP, SD, DG, CW, MG, GW, SC, and everyone else who has asked for our prayers as they deal with cancer. JC continues to be OK, but we are still looking in great faith for that miracle. Justin’s got some new growth in his cordoma, but is still doing all right and going back to school – sort of. Also remember BL, FP, EJ, and others preparing for a full-time commitment to God as their vocation, and MT going through some very difficult life changes.
God loves you, and so do I. Pass it on!
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved
chick
Lenten Series on Mercy
Follow this series on Corporal Acts of Mercy
