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Mercy Word of the Week

Date:01/19/2016

The Mercy Word of the Week

As we progress through the Jubilee Year of Mercy proclaimed by Pope Francis, University Ministry offers our community a "Mercy Word of the Week" to help us focus on the themes of mercy that are already so closely aligned to our mission and heritage as an institution sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy.

The first Monday of each month will bring a brief reflection on each of the University's Core Values as expressions of our Mercy charism. We hope these focused thoughts will lead to your own considered contemplation on mercy and its role in your life.

This is what the Lord All-Powerful said: "You must do what is right and fair."

You must be kind and show mercy to each other. Zechariah 7:9-10

Kindness: the act of being good or exhibiting a spirit of benevolence.

We live in a fast paced world of "I got to have it now" and "what's in it for me." We want everything to move quickly; faster internet service, speedy service at the drive through window. We want everything right away, instant coffee, instant tea. This "right now" attitude can prevent us from recognizing opportunities to be kind to someone who is truly in need.

But, we must make and take time to love, to be fair, and show mercy. A simple act of kindness can change a person's life and move them to re-examine themselves and feel compelled to be a better person. A smile can brighten a person's day and can change their outlook from hopeless to promising. A humble kind touch to someone's arm can create warmth in an individual that could last a lifetime. Kindness is taking time to pay attention, to stop and care.

This month we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday. Dr. King put his personal life and career on hold to show kindness, love, and mercy to everyone -- the worthy and the unworthy. He worked tirelessly using a non-violet platform to fight segregation and right wrongs in America. He was concerned for the sufferings of minorities, the poor, and the excluded. People were hurting and being treated unfairly, so he took it upon himself to fight for change. As he fought, he was disrespected, slandered, beaten, and jailed, and not only by those that he marched in opposition to but also by those that he marched on behalf of. In his 1965 commencement address at Oberlin College he said "The time is always right to do what's right..." Dr. King was the perfect example of kindness and as we celebrate his life and legacy let's make an effort to show genuine kindness daily to everyone we encounter.