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The Difference between Sacrifice and Mercy
June 8, 2008
Matthew 9:9-13
“What have you done for me lately?” We have all heard this question before. Whether it has arisen in a business setting or a family setting, that question defines a certain kind of relationship. “What have you done for me lately?” defines a relationship in which we are expected to give to another, in which we are expected to sacrifice on behalf of another. In this kind of relationship, if we do not produce, if we do not do what is expected, if we do not deliver, then it is very likely that the relationship will come to an end.
Now I think that many of us look at our relationship to God in these terms. We imagine God saying to us, “What have you done for me lately? Have you been patient with your spouse, even though that’s difficult? Have you given time to your family, even though that is a sacrifice? Have you promoted justice? Have you welcomed the stranger? Are you giving yourself to build my kingdom?” But if we were to define our relationship to God in terms of those kinds of expectations, we would be doing our relationship with God a disservice.
This is not because the actions I just described are unimportant. It is important that we are patient with our spouse, that we do justice, that we welcome the stranger. Nor does it mean that those expectations are imaginary. God does expect us to spend time with our families and give ourselves to the building of God’s kingdom. But if we were to use those actions, those expectations for us, as the basis of a relationship, we would be skewing our relationship to God. Because prior to any action on our part, more fundamental than any success or failure on our part, God establishes a relationship to us on the basis of God’s free choice and God’s endless grace. God’s grace is prior to our deeds. God’s mercy is more fundamental than our sacrifice.
This truth is revealed most clearly as we watch Jesus interact with sinners. In today’s gospel Jesus calls tax collectors and sinners to himself. By so doing he is making it very clear that our relationship to God is not based upon our goodness or holiness. It is based upon God’s goodness and God’s holiness. If Jesus’ fundamental question was “What have you done for me lately?” the sinner could only respond “Nothing.” And that would be that. But as we watch Jesus’ action it becomes clear that even when we have nothing to offer, God nevertheless seeks us out and claims us as God’s own. Not because we deserve it, but because that is the way God is.
Now it is very important for us that we let this truth influence the way that we think about our faith. We must allow it to influence how we believe. When someone asks us, “Why are you a Christian?” if the first think you think about is being good, being a moral person, you are taking what is in second place and putting it in first place. What is in first place is not our moral response to God. (Indeed, we could find many people who don’t even believe in God who are better people and more moral than we are.) What is to be in first place is not our moral goodness, but God’s boundless love. When someone asks you, “Why are you a Catholic?” if the first thing you think about is rules and regulations and laws that direct our actions, you are replacing what is fundamental with something that is derivative. Because the first thing we should think of when someone asks us why are we a Catholic is that we believe in a God who created us and saved us out of love—a God who will be with us though all our phases of life, both when we are good and when we are not. That is the Good News. That is putting first things first.
In the gospel today, Jesus tells the scribes, “Go and learn the meaning of this saying ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’” But it’s not only important for the scribes to learn what that saying means. It is important for us as well. We need to learn that our faith is not about our sacrifice, but about God’s mercy. A mercy that is prior to any action on our part. A mercy that is deep and lasting. And when we learn that, then we can live each day in thankfulness and hope. Because we know that our life is not founded on our successes or ruined by our failures. It is founded on God’s endless mercy. And God’s mercy is not a single action. It is the air we breathe. It is the sea in which we swim. When we realize that, then we’ll be able to say without any doubt, “God’s love is the foundation of my faith. God’s mercy is the reason I am a believer.”
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