The Gospel of Mercy
Similar to my previous post, I am posting a paper I wrote for Synoptic Gospels class. The paper is on the Gospel of Luke as the "Gospel of Mercy," a fitting theme for this Divine Mercy Sunday. Hopefully it can give you some material for prayer and reflection during this Year of Mercy.
2. The Infancy Narratives: The Canticles of Mercy
3. The Content of Jesus’ Earthly Ministry
5. The Crucifixion and Resurrection Portrayals of
Mercy
Introduction
“The
Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings
to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim
liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go
free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord” (Lk 4:18-19, NABRE). When Jesus proclaimed this passage from
Isaiah in the Nazorean synagogue, he made it clear that a new “today” has
begun, a time in which the Lord’s actions prophesied about in the Old Testament
will be fulfilled in him. By beginning
Jesus’ public ministry with this passage, St. Luke established a theme for his
Gospel: how did Jesus fulfill this message of glad tidings through his words
and deeds? In our own time, Pope Francis
has presented the Catholic Church with a new “year acceptable to the Lord,” an
Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. In Misericordiae Vultus, Pope Francis reminded
the Church and the whole world, “We need constantly to contemplate the mystery
of mercy. It is a wellspring of joy, serenity, and peace. Our salvation depends
on it.”[1] With this universal theme of mercy, it is
fitting that we reflect upon the Gospel of Luke, which has often been described
as the “Gospel of Mercy.” For instance,
Pope Saint John Paul II stated within Dives
in Misericordia, “The Gospel writer who particularly treats of these themes
(of love and mercy) in Christ's teaching is Luke, whose Gospel has earned the
title of ‘the Gospel of Mercy.’”[2] This paper aims to examine the Gospel of Luke
as the Gospel of mercy, demonstrating how the various sections of the Gospel
contribute to this theme and lead the reader toward an encounter with the
merciful God.
1. Luke’s Focus on Mercy
Throughout
Her history, the Church has reflected upon each of the four Gospels and noted
what each of them provides to the Church.
Dei Verbum states that the
differences of the four Gospels should not make us question their authenticity
or unity because they all contribute to the richness of the Gospel
message.
The sacred authors wrote the four
Gospels, selecting some things from the many which had been handed on by word
of mouth or in writing, reducing some of them to a synthesis, explaining some
things in view of the situation of their churches and preserving the form of
proclamation but always in such fashion that they told us the honest truth
about Jesus.[3]
Therefore, to state that Luke
writes the “Gospel of Mercy” does not mean that the other three gospels fail to
focus on this theme. Indeed, mercy is a
continual theme throughout the whole Bible, and each Scriptural writer
describes mercy in varying ways. What
makes St. Luke’s writing different is that, according to Dr. Robert Stackpole,
“the theme of God's merciful love really ties the whole book together from
beginning to end: Mercy is its ‘leitmotif,’ (leading motif) one might
say.”[4] Different historical writers have noticed
this; for instance, Dante Alighieri wrote that St. Luke was the scriba mansuetudinis Christi, the
“narrator of the meekness of Christ.”[5] However, the title “Gospel of Mercy” seems to
be a recent description of the narrative, officially recognized by the Church
in Dives in Misericordia. It seems to
be no coincidence that the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy falls during Year C,
in which the Luke’s Gospel is read during the Sunday liturgies, and Pope
Francis has emphasized this by asking the Church to study this Gospel during
this time.[6]
Dr. Scott Hahn
provides us with a working definition of mercy: “The disposition toward
lovingkindness, compassion, and/or forbearance. Mercy impels a person toward
concern and a readiness to render assistance. It is also shown to one who
offends, in particular the mercy of God to sinners.”[7] Thus, in this overview of the Gospel, we need
to be attentive to how Luke illustrates God’s disposition of mercy. Christian tradition has always described Luke
as a physician, so his focus on mercy and healing must have permeated his whole
life. Cardinal Walter Kasper sees this
as coming from “a tradition that understood Jesus Christ, in light of his
miraculous healings, as doctor, healer, and savior, a tradition in which
saintly physicians (Luke, Cosmos, Damian among others) are honored and the
pastor, in particular the confessor, is understood not only as a judge, but is
understood primarily as a doctor of the soul.”[8] Indeed, Luke’s motivation to write his Gospel
comes from his saintly desire to bring healing to the world, and the different
sections of the narrative lend to this mission.
2. The Infancy Narratives: The Canticles of Mercy
In
a similar fashion to Matthew’s Gospel, Luke devotes his first two chapters to
Jesus’ birth, and the narrative also includes information on how John the
Baptist was born. Mercy becomes a clear
theme right from the Gospel’s beginning as Luke vividly describes God’s
gracious act of the Incarnation. By
these passages, St. Luke establishes an important principle: mercy is not
simply an abstract or general love that God bestows upon His followers; rather,
the Lord shows His mercy in concrete acts toward specific people. He encounters Zechariah in the majesty of the
Temple sacrifice, and He encounters Mary in the simplicity of her home. Elizabeth serves as the witness to these
extraordinary acts, responding with, “So has the Lord done for me at a time
when he has seen fit to take away my disgrace before others,” and, “Blessed are
you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled”
(1:25, 45). Two passages that explicitly
describe God’s mercy are the Canticles of Mary and Zechariah. These prayers are composed in response to the
Lord’s surprising acts of kindness, and they have been honored by the Church by
their daily recitation in the Liturgy of the Hours.
The
Canticle of Mary (Magnificat),
contained in Lk 1:47-55, occurs after Elizabeth praises Mary for her faithful
response to God’s message. The canticle
finds an Old Testament parallel in 1 Samuel 2:1-10, where Hannah gives praise
to God for giving her a child, Samuel.
Through this similarity, St. Luke draws together the Old and New
Covenants, demonstrating the consistency of the Lord throughout salvation
history. Mary’s canticle specifically
refers to mercy twice in verses 50 (“His mercy is from age to age”) and 54 (“He
has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy), and the rest of the
canticle, through its use of parallelism, points to the radical nature of the
Lord’s mercy. While the arrogant,
rulers, and rich are cast away, God exults the poor, weak, and hungry,
hearkening back to the Jewish concept of the ‘anawim (poor ones).[9] In her book Handmaid of the Lord, Adrienne von Speyr describes how Mary serves
as a witness to mercy: “(Grace) has raised up the lowly handmaid to the dignity
of Mother of God. In this elevation the
Lord shows the world his mercy. . . . But he does not want to do it alone; he
wants to avail himself of their own help in this, and therefore he chooses his
Mother from their midst so that men are sharers in his mission starting from
his birth.”[10] God’s merciful love works through His willing
servants, which is also made clear in Zechariah’s canticle.
Contained
in Lk 1:68-79, the Canticle of Zechariah (Benedictus)
also testifies to the Lord’s mercy in gratitude for the birth of John the
Baptist. These are the first words that
Zechariah speaks after he is silenced by the angel Gabriel for his doubt, so
they show the fruits of Zechariah’s contemplation. This canticle also specifically mentions
mercy twice, in verses 72 (“to show mercy to our fathers”) and 78 (“because of
the tender mercy of our God”). Rick
Torretto focuses on this second mention of mercy, which in the Greek is σπλάγχνα ἐλέους, or literally
“through the bowels of mercy.” In Hebrew
thought, the intestines produced emotions and compassion, so this expression becomes
a vivid image of God’s tremendous compassion.[11] We will soon see how a later passage in Luke
connects with this image in a powerful way.
3. The Content of Jesus’ Earthly Ministry
The
passages within the Gospel that describe Jesus’ public ministry continue to
demonstrate God’s saving love, and to examine all of them in depth would be far
beyond the scope of this paper. However,
because Luke is the longest of the four Gospels, his narrative includes many
stories and parables that are not found in Matthew, Mark, or John, and these
passages offer a significant clue to Luke’s guiding theme. Rick Torretto lists some of this unique
material, focusing on who Jesus encounters within his ministry, and we can be
awed by the wide range of persons and situations that Christ meets:
·
Jesus cures a son of a Centurion, who serves for
the foreign government (Lk 7:1-10).
·
Jesus raises the only son of a widow, who is
destitute and poor (Lk 7:11-17).
·
A sinful woman anoints Jesus (Lk 7:36-50).
·
Several women, who are usually seen as
second-class citizens, follow Jesus openly (Lk 8:1-3).
·
Jesus tells the parable of a loving Samaritan,
rejected as heretical and impure by Judeans (Lk 10:30-37).
·
Jesus stays with apparently unmarried women,
Martha and Mary (Lk 10:38-42).
·
Jesus praises a dishonest steward for his
prudent actions (Lk 16:1-8).
·
Jesus describes how Lazarus, a poor, homeless,
and sick man, enters heaven while the rich man is left in torment (Lk 16:19-31).
·
The Lord cures ten lepers, who are social
outcasts (Lk 17:11-19).
·
Jesus describes how a tax collector’s prayer can
be heard before a righteous Pharisee’s prayer (Lk 18:9-14).
·
Christ receives and dines with the chief tax
collector, Zacchaeus (Lk 19:1-10).
Torretto describes that Luke’s
narrative “includes every gender, class and moral character conceivable”
because “for Luke, Jesus is the Savior of all people.”[12]
In
his preaching in Luke, Jesus also highlights the theme of mercy. For instance, Luke 6, the Sermon on the
Plain, contains several similar themes to Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount,
including several of the beatitudes (though, ironically, “Blessed are the
merciful” is not included in Luke), the love of enemies, the command to not
judge or condemn others, and the exhortation to forgive. Interestingly, there is a significant
difference between Matthew and Luke.
While Matthew 5:48 states, “Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is
perfect,” Luke 6:36 is forthright in saying, “Be merciful, just as your Father
is merciful.” As Cardinal Kasper notes,
we can relate the two passages to conclude that, “mercy is the perfection of God’s essence,” and we are thus called to imitate
Him in this.[13]
4. The Parables of Mercy in Luke 15
Luke
15 is one of the most memorable passages of the whole Scriptures, giving
readers powerful images of the mercy of God.
This parable that Christ tells contains three stories: the lost sheep,
the lost coin, and the lost boy (“prodigal son”), and the Lord proclaims this in
response to the grumbling of the Pharisees and scribes, who fail to see the
reasoning behind his mercy. Even though
the word “mercy” is not used throughout the chapter, it is clear that this
theme is present throughout the parable.
The merciful characters go to great lengths to find what they have lost:
the shepherd forsakes ninety-nine sheep in the desert, the woman sweeps every
part of the house, and the father persistently watches for his son to
return. Significantly, all three stories
conclude with celebration and rejoicing, implying that the correct response to
mercy is joy. Fr. James Swetnam sees the
elder son in the third story as key to understanding the focal point of the parable. Just like the Pharisee, even though he has
followed his father’s instructions exactly, he feels unappreciated, unloved,
and angry that his brother has been welcomed back with joy.[14] However, the father’s response is meant for
each one of us: “But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother
was dead and has come to life again: he was lost and has been found” (15:32),
and the parable is left open-ended for our own responses.
As
he is telling the parable, it is evident that Jesus wants to connect the
shepherd, woman, and father with His own Father, Who welcomes back the sinner
and leads heaven and earth in rejoicing.
Swetnam writes, “(this) indicates that mercy and forgiveness are so
intrinsically bound up with the nature of a true father that they can be safely
presumed wherever there is true fatherhood.”[15]
The text itself also testifies to this;
in Lk 15:20, in which the father was “filled with compassion” at the sight of
his son, the Greek verb used is ἐσπλαγχνίσθη,
which comes from σπλάγχνον, meaning “bowels.”
As seen previously, Torretto is keen to point out the connection of this
passage with Luke 1:78 from the Benedictus,
in which Zechariah is describing God’s love.[16] By this language, Luke connects the father in
the parable with the Father in heaven, leaving us no doubt of his image of the
merciful God. Thus, to the Lord, “each
and every sinner, repentant or not, is of immense and unique worth,” and we are
asked to have this same attitude toward all we meet.[17]
5. The Crucifixion and Resurrection Portrayals of
Mercy
As we come to the
central narrative of the Paschal Mystery, contained in chapters 22, 23, and 24,
Christ’s mercy is shown most fully through his suffering and death on the
cross. Throughout this narrative, there
are several unique features to Luke’s Gospel that flow from his focus on mercy. First, after Simon Peter announces his
steadfast faith to Christ at the Last Supper, Jesus tells the disciple of his
future denials, a feature common to all four Gospels, but Luke’s Gospel is the
only one where Jesus states, “I have prayed that your own faith may not fail;
and once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers” (22:32). Even when Jesus knows what Peter will do, he
still places this apostle at the head of the twelve, trusting that he will help
his brothers be strong in their faith.
Second, Luke’s Gospel uniquely gives us one of Jesus’ “last words” on
the cross: “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do” (23:34).[18] This is an incredible statement, considering
the tremendous suffering that Christ had undergone, but his forgiveness truly
endures to the last moment. The Navarre
Bible commentary reflects,
His love, his perfect mercy and
justice make maximum allowance for factors rendering our sins less heinous. It
is quite clear that the people directly responsible were perfectly aware that
they were condemning an innocent person to death, that they were guilty of
homicide; but they did not realize, in these moments of passion, that they were
also committing deicide. . . . Jesus in his mercy excuses them on the grounds
of ignorance.[19]
This mercy has concrete expression
in the forgiveness of one of the criminals crucified with Christ. This criminal knows that he has “been
condemned justly . . . but this man has done nothing criminal,” and he asks
Jesus to “remember me when you come into your kingdom” (23:41-42). Because of this brief prayer, Jesus forgives
the criminal and promises him Paradise, reminding all of us that no earthly
time is “too late” for the mercy of God.
Finally,
chapter 24 describes the aftermath of Christ’s resurrection, and we recognize
that Christ’s merciful work is bound to continue for the rest of time. The memorable story of the disciples on the
road to Emmaus features a powerful example of the mercy of Christ. These disciples, sorrowful and downtrodden,
are walking away from the community they discovered in Jerusalem, about to go
back to their own lives, but Jesus chooses to walk with them and convert their
hearts back to Jerusalem. This episode
concludes with the breaking of the bread, which the earliest Christian communities
would imitate, knowing that within this sacrament, our eyes are “opened” to the
presence of Jesus (Lk 24:30-31). St.
Gregory Nazianzen writes in wonder, “Jesus joins them as they go along their
way. Lord, how great you are, in everything! But you move me even more when you
come down to our level, to follow us and to seek us in the hustle and bustle of
each day. Lord, grant us a childlike spirit, pure eyes and a clear head so that
we may recognize you when you come without any outward sign of your glory.”[20] When Jesus appears to the apostles, he
declares, “Peace be with you” to the ones who deserted him, and he reveals to
them their mission, “that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be
preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem” (24:36,
47). This story of mercy will be
continued in Luke’s Acts of the Apostles as he demonstrates how the Gospel
spread throughout the earth, and, just like the apostles, we become “witnesses
of these things” when we receive God’s infinite mercy (24:48).
Conclusion:
From the passages
studied above, we can understand why the Gospel of Luke is aptly described as
the “Gospel of mercy.” The present time
is a tremendous opportunity for the Church to delve more deeply into this message
of mercy, especially with the recent emphasis on the Divine Mercy Devotion from
St. John Paul II and the Year of Mercy proclaimed by Pope Francis, who writes,
“The Church feels the urgent need to proclaim God’s mercy. Her life is
authentic and credible only when she becomes a convincing herald of mercy. . .
. The Church is called above all to be a credible witness to mercy, professing
it and living it as the core of the revelation of Jesus Christ.”[21] We in the Church can look back to Jesus’
initial proclamation in the Nazorean synagogue, recognizing that the mission he
announces has been given to us in our particular vocations. In following the Lord in this mission, we can
continually receive the abundant mercy of the Father, inspiring many others to
share in this mercy and journey toward everlasting life.
[1]
Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, Bull
of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy (11 April 2015) §2,
at The Holy See, https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_letters/documents/papa-francesco_bolla_20150411_misericordiae-vultus.html
2
[2]
John Paul II, Dives in Misericordia (13
November 1980) §3, at The Holy See, https://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_30111980_dives-in-misericordia.html
[3] “Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation: Dei
Verbum,” in Vatican II Documents
(Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2011), §18.
[4]
Robert Stackpole, “St. Luke: The Gospel of Mercy,” Divine Mercy Library (Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception
of the B.V.M.: 28 September 2005), accessed 24 January 2016, http://www.thedivinemercy.org/library/article.php?NID=206.
[5]
Vatican Radio, “About the Jubilee of Mercy” News.va
(Official Vatican Network: 13
March 2015), accessed 24 January 2016, http://www.news.va/en/news/about-the-jubilee-of-mercy.
[6]
Dennis Sadowski, “Six families to receive Gospel of Luke from pope at
Philadelphia Mass,” Catholic News Service
(USCCB: 26 September 2015), accessed 24 January 2016, http://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2015/six-families-to-receive-gospel-of-luke-from-pope-at-philadelphia-mass.cfm.
[8] Walter
Kasper, Mercy: The Essence of the Gospel
and the Key to Christian Life, trans. William Madges (New York: Paulist
Press, 2014), 177.
[9]
Richard “Rick” Torretto, A Divine Mercy
Resource: How to Understand the Devotion to Divine Mercy, (Bloomington, IL:
iUniverse, 2010), Kindle eBook, Loc 4124 (page numbers not given).
[10]
Adrienne von Speyr, Handmaid of the Lord,
trans. by E.A. Nelson (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1985), 49.
[14]
James Swetnam, “Entry #22 – Luke 15,” James
Swetnam’s Close Readings (15 May 2009), 4, accessed 27 February 2016. http://www.jamesswetnamsclosereadings.com/James_Swetnams_Close_Readings/Home_Page.html.
[18]
The NABRE footnote for this verse notes that it does not appear in the earliest
manuscripts of Luke, but because it still appears in several manuscripts and plays
an important role in the Christian Tradition, we will consider it alongside the
rest of the Gospel.
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