In yesterday’s blog post, there was a reflection made on the fact that we will all, one day, answer to God. And that day, as Scripture repeatedly teaches, it is a day about which we should be sober. Sadly, there are many who give little thought to this truth, and some who outright scoff at it.
But with all that in mind, the question may arise for us, is there anything that we can do to have influence on the manner in which God will judge us, or on the standard he will use? Now here, we speak of the manner of God’s judgment, that is whether he will be strict or merciful. We do not refer here to the content. It is an obvious, and axiomatic truth, that God will judge our deeds. Hence, we should avoid grave sins and wickedness, and repent quickly when we commit such sins.
But again here, we ponder the manner of God’s judgment, the standard which he will use. Namely, whether he will judge us strictly, and or severely, or with lenience, and great mercy.
On the one hand, it would seem that we could have no influence on this. For, it would also seem that God is no respecter of persons, and judges with perfect justice.
And yet, there are passages which do speak of ways that we can influence the standard God will use, the a manner of His judgment. Let’s consider a few scripture passages wherein we are taught that we can have some influence over the manner in which God will judge us. Lets look at four related areas that will have influence:
I. Whether we show mercy –
Jesus says, Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy (Matthew 5:7). James says something similar, and develops a bit when he says Always speak and act as those were going to be judged under the law of freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. So mercy triumphs over judgment! (James 2:12 – 13). And thus we are taught that by observing mercy, and patience, in our relations with one another, we will influence the manner in which we are judged.
It is a fact that, sometimes in life, it will be required of us, especially if we are parents, or in leadership roles, that we will need to punish, and/or assign consequences for those who transgress moral laws, or legal limits. Hence, texts like these do not mean we should never correct with punitive measures. Such a way of living is unwise, and often confirms people in bad behaviors. But even when corrective or punitive measures are needed, it makes sense that we should seek to be lenient where possible, and use lesser measures before firmer ones are employed.
It is also clear from these biblical texts, that it is highly foolish to go through life with severity toward others, with a lack of compassion, or a harsh unyielding attitude. We are all going to need a lot of grace and mercy at our judgment. Therefore, how misguided, how foolish it is for us to be harsh and unmerciful toward others. For indeed, these text tell us the merciful are blessed, and warn that the unmerciful will be shown no mercy. Can you or I really expect, that we will make it on the day of judgment, without boatloads of Mercy?
Now therefore is the time for us to seek to invoke the promise of the Lord, Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.
II. Whether we have been strict or lenient
In a related text, the Lord Jesus says, The measure that you measure to others, will be measured back to you (Mark 4:24). Here again, if we hope for, and need a merciful judgment, if we want a merciful measure or standard to be used, the Lord makes it clear that he will use the measure or standard that we have used for others. Have we been strict? He will be strict. Have we been merciful? He will be merciful, and so forth. Be very careful before demanding that sinners and others who transgress receive the strongest penalties. There may be a time for penalties, but it is not always true that the most severe punishments be used.
In John 8 the Pharisees wanted to invoke the most severe penalty for a woman caught in adultery (stoning to death). Jesus reasons with them that before they demand he throw the book at her, they might want to recall there are a few things about them that are also written in the book. One by one they drift away, seemingly considering the foolishness of their demands for the most severe penalty. Somehow they realize that the measure they want to measure to her, will be measured back to them.
III. Whether we are generous to the poor -
Luke, relates this text more specifically to our generosity: Give and it will be given to you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap. For the measure that you measure to others will be measured back to you (Luke 6:38). And this leads us to a second area which the Scriptures teach us that we can influence the day of our judgment.
Jesus, after rebuking the Scribes Pharisees for their severity, and their extreme legalism, says to them, who obsessed about cleaning the outside of the dish, You fools, did not the one who made the outside of the cup make the inside also? But if you give what is inside the cup as alms to the poor, everything will be made clean for you (Luke 11:40 – 41). It is a daring text, in the light of the theology of Grace, and almost implies that we could somehow “purchase” forgiveness. But of course, it is the Lord himself who says it, and he does not say we can somehow purchase forgiveness. But surely, he does teach that generosity to the poor will in fact influence the day of our judgment.
Later in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus develops the thought saying, I tell you, use your worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into trouble dwellings (Lk 16:9). It is a complicated text, but Jesus seems to be saying that our generosity to the poor, will surely gain for us advantages at the day of our judgment. Indeed, blessing the poor gives us powerful intercessors, for the Lord hears the cries of the poor. And on the day of our death, and our judgment, the picture that is painted here is of those very poor welcoming us into eternal dwellings.
Scripture elsewhere warns, If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be heard (Proverbs 21:13). So once again, it would seem that we can have some influence over the manner, measure or standard that will be used by God at our judgment. To the merciful, mercy will be shown. The generous too will experience that their cries are heard, for they heard the cries of the poor. And the Lord more than implies that those who have been generous to the poor will have powerful advocates praying and interceding for them on the day of judgment. Indeed, a number of the Fathers of the Church remind us that, in this life, the poor need us, but in the life to come, we will need them.
IV. Whether we have been forgiving -
A final area to explore in terms of how we might have influence over the manner of our judgment is the matter of forgiveness. Just after giving us the “Our Father,” the Lord Jesus says the following, For if you forgive others when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins (Matthew 6:14 – 15).
Later in Matthew, Jesus tells a terrifying parable of a man who had huge debt, a debt that was forgiven him. But when he refused to forgive his brother a much smaller debt, the king grew angry and threw him into debtors prison. Jesus concludes the parable by saying, This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you, unless you forgive your brother from your heart (Matthew 18:35).
So yes, it would seem that we can have some influence over the manner in which God will judge us, over the standard he will use. And while it is true, God will judge will judge us by our deeds (cf Romans 2:6), yet the manner in which God judges us, whether with strictness or leniency, does seem to be a matter over which we have influence.
As we have already considered, it is a plain fact that we are all going to need lots of grace and mercy, for if God judges with strict justice and strict standards, who can stand? We will all have much to answer for. All the more reason for us to follow the teachings of the Lord, in his Scripture, and be sure that on the day of our judgment, mercy, and the grace of leniency will prevail in abundance. Do we want mercy? Then show mercy. Do we want a gentle standard? Then we must measure out gentleness. Do we want forgiveness? Then we must offer forgiveness. Recruit some good intercessors for the day of judgment, by giving to the poor. They will be the most powerful intercessors for us as we leave this life and go to judgment.
Indeed, God has shown us how we can store up a treasure of mercy, waiting for us in heaven, at the judgment seat of Christ. Some good lessons here to heed.
Perhaps you might like to add some other ways we can influence the standard God will use to judge us.
Another way to influence the standard: striving for purity of intention. In His “Sermon on the Mount” Jesus declares that “the clean of heart…will see God” (Mt 5:8), and later instructs His followers not to engage in the spiritual disciplines of almsgiving, prayer, and fasting “in order that people may see them” (6:1, 5). It may seem contradictory that, in this very sermon, Jesus also exhorts us to let our light “shine before others so that they may see your good deeds” (5:16); but He makes it clear that the credit for our good deeds goes to the Father as the Source of all good.
I encountered this seeming paradox when someone brought it up at a Twelve Step meeting and then suggested that one drop off factory sealed and tasty, yet nutritious snacks in the vicinity of a homeless shelter or extremly low income area. If one drives by in the wee hours of the morning to do it the recipients may see the vehicle but won’t know who left it.
The charitable act will be seen and inspirational yet anonymous.
I suppose that I shouldn’t say what, if any, action I may have taken on this.
Thanks for providing the opportunity to pass on this message which I’ve received.
The Our Father has the lines “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespassed against us” pretty much sums up our Judgement. Yet I feel that we left Love out of the equation. My spouse and I have been married for 42 years, and we know how to love. I can’t phantom asking her for mercy. I really love Jesus, I can’t phantom asking Jesus for mercy. Maybe I have a sin of arrogance, but if you truly love Jesus, you should be willing to take your lumps.
I believe Msgr. Pope wrote in one of your blogs. ” Justice is getting what you deserve, Mercy is not getting what you deserve, Grace is getting what you don’t deserve.”
May God’s Grace be with all of you.
Dear brother Lou, if you can’t “fathom”
asking the Lord for mercy, you are sunk. I don’t need to know the details about the life you’ve led and who you are as a person, inside, any more than I need to know myself. We are both sons of Adam and have heaped — heaped — personal sins on top of his sin and thus are totally 100% unable to stand Christ’s Justice. Our only recourse is to his Mercy. Your lumps are so great that frankly you shouldn’t even refer to them so breathtakingly cavalierly, they are so unfathomably dire. You must appeal to His Mercy. I say this to you because I say it to myself.
The most succinct explanation I have seen thus far about Christ’s perfect Justice is this. Christ is God. Being God, everything He does is perfect. His Justice is perfect, down to the farthing. No one can stand His Justice. His Justice would utterly obliterate us and that would be just for it to do so. We cannot resent Him for wielding perfect Justice nor can we despise it in its perfection. Thus, we ask (beg) for His Mercy, which is also perfect. We don’t seem to have a problem with perfect Mercy, though!, or the one who wields it! Thus shows our sinfulness. When we ask for His Mercy, His Mercy and His Justice, in a fashion of saying, struggle with one another. We turn God upon Himself. The Mercy triumphs at that moment because the Father considers anew the Cross and its wealth of Grace. Christ’s blood that poured forth is applied to us who have asked for Mercy. Intra tua vulnera absconde me. Hiding within His wounds is our only hope of avoiding the Justice that would send us reeling into justly deserved Hell. Even a small sin is heinous because sin is measured objectively by the one whom it offended, not because of how the sin seems in the mind of the one who commits it. Slapping a baby is worse than slapping a man because the baby was unprepared, innocent, etc. Well, the most innocent of all was the Lamb who was slain by us. Thus, our whole lives are totally unable to stand again His Justice, so filled with outrages against Him as they were. We beg for His Mercy. Anything else or anything less is arrogant insanity.
May God utterly bless you.
You mention the poor as potentially powerful intercessors for us. Other great intercessors might be souls whom our prayers have released from purgatory. In this age where so many are quick to assume the dead are “in a better place”, it seems that these souls might be extremely grateful that not everyone forgot their plight.
Father,
I often display a “harsh unyielding attitude.” Thank you for the reminder that I’m called to show mercy.
God Bless
The only other thing that I could come up with Jeff already commented on–praying for the souls in Purgatory.
Consider the parable of the widow’s mite, Mark 12:41-43 Luke 21:1-3. Even many of the wealthiest will have something which they cherish because they have little of it and would have great difficulty replacing it if they donated it to God’s Glory.
Sed libera nos a malo.
Deliver us, O Lord, from every evil, past, present, and to come, and graciously grant peace in our days….so that helped by the riches of your mercy we may ever be free from and secure from every disturbance, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, your Son, who is God, living and reigning with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, throught all ages.
“…through the intercession of the blessed and glorious ever-Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and of your blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, Andrew and all the Saints:” Sorry about time,
Blessed Michael the Archangel would be a starting point.
@Lou Donnelly: I’ve always been taught that if you don’t ask for God’s mercy you won’t receive it. He wants to be asked because He wants to know that YOU know that you need Him and that without Him you are nothing and will go to nothing (good). Praying for His mercy is an act of Faith, Hope and Charity as well as an act of obedience to Him and of subjugation to His will. It also puts your pride in its proper place before Him. They’re called capital sins for a reason….pride being the first…
“Father forgive them they know not what they do.”
The parable in Matt 18:23-34 used to be translated with the first servant owing a debt equivalent to Sixty Thousand Years’ wages at the then minimum wage; and his fellow servant owed him Five Hundred Days’ wages.
The comparison between sixty thousand years and five hundred days shocks! But the degree of insult is measured by the dignity of the person insulted; and God’s dignity is infinite.
I know enough about my sins to seek mercy, and grace. So I better be more than willing to forgive those who have hurt me – even some who may not be aware of it, and specially others who don’t ask for forgiveness.
The so-called “Kiss of peace” at Mass is in the wrong place. We should offer peace to others at the beginning of Mass, near the Confiteor.
Also, many issues we have are with acquaintances and family members who are NOT PRESENT at the Mass we are attending, not the pleasant smiling stranger in the next pew.
Lord Jesus, have mercy on me.
I pray at the abortion clinic. I may never know if my simple presence there inspired an abortion-minded mother to drive on by and miss her appointment. But I am hoping that (assuming I make it to heaven) I’ll someday meet the child (children?) that I helped save from the abortionist. I want to meet their families, kids, grand-kids, and the whole family tree that might not have been. This is what I concentrate on to keep my hopes up, especially when we don’t see any results after years of praying there. Or when we get verbal abuse.
I’m hoping the precious little ones that we tried to save but were aborted will be praying for us to help us make it to heaven.
And, speaking of God’s mercy: let’s all pray for the mothers who aborted their babies, who need healing, and God’s mercy. I cannot imagine the burden of guilt that must be! Lord, have mercy on them!
St. Michael the Archangel is mentioned in the Old Testament, and the New Testament . The priest in his homily also mentioned St. Michael has some say on the Keys to the KIngdom of God, So we pray“ Alleluia, alleluia. Holy Archangel Michael, defend us in battle; that we may not perish in the dreadful judgment.Alleluia” The novena to St. Michael is available for saying daily.