Ordinary Time 
Pause
One of the first Christians wrote, “There are two ways, one of life and one of death—and there is a great difference between these two ways.”
Today you face a choice about the way to live.
Listen
“Happy are people who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, because they will be fed until they are full.
“Happy are people who show mercy, because they will receive mercy.”
Matthew 5:6-7
Think
In 1 Kings 17, the prophet Elijah visits a widow who is on the verge of starvation. Elijah meets the woman while she is preparing to cook the last food that she has for a final meal. But Elijah is hungry too. The widow is concerned about having enough for herself, but she chooses to share her food with him. In other words, the widow has mercy on Elijah.
In response, God miraculously provides food for the poor widow and her family. Because she opens her heart to Elijah, the widow experiences blessing in an unexpected way.
“Happy are people who show mercy, because they will receive mercy,” Jesus says. We can choose kindness and compassion even when someone doesn’t deserve it—because that’s what God has done for us through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Andrew Garnett
Question to Ponder:
Who in your life needs your mercy right now?
Pray
God, thank you for your kindness to me. Help me to show mercy to those in my life, so that I might experience your mercy in a new and powerful way. Amen.
Go
Go to live in the love of God, the way of Jesus, and the peace of the Holy Spirit.
