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.


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.
[7] Scott Hahn, ed., Catholic Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 2009), 601.
[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.
[11] Torretto, Divine Mercy Resource, Loc 4426.
[12] Torretto, Divine Mercy Resource, loc 4177.
[13] Kasper, Mercy, 69.
[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.
[15] Swetnam, “Entry #22,” 6.
[16] Torretto, Divine Mercy Resource, Loc 4426.
[17] Swetnam, “Entry #22,” 7.
[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. 
[19] Saint Luke’s Gospel, The Navarre Bible (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2005), 192.
[20] St. Gregory Nazianzen, Epistolae, 212, quoted in Saint Luke’s Gospel, 200.
[21] Misericordiae Vultus, §25

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