THE SCANDAL OF MERCY

THE SCANDAL OF MERCY Fr Luke A Veronis This past week I went to see the new movie, Moses the Black. It is not a feel-good movie with a tidy, happy ending. Rather, it is a difficult yet powerful story about redemption - especially the redemption of someone whom society would likely consider irredeemable. The movie is set in modern-day Chicago and follows the life of Malik, the leader of a violent street gang. It opens with his release from prison, but his time there has done little to change him. He quickly returns to a life of drug dealing, brutality, and bloodshed. The film portrays a world of violence, murder, and despair, a darkness that most of us cannot imagine or relate to One of the only sources of light in Malik’s life is his grandmother, a deeply faithful woman who prays for him unceasingly. She introduces him to an icon of Saint Moses the Black. As some of us know, Saint Moses himself was once a violent gang leader in fourth-century Egypt - a thief, a murderer, a man who spread fear wherever he went. Yet through his encounter with the desert fathers, who introduced him to Jesus Christ, he experienced a radical transformation. He repented, became a monk, and eventually a holy man of deep humility and peace. At the end of his life, when his monastery was attacked, he refused to flee. He urged the other monks to escape while he remained behind and met his death as a martyr of the faith. The story of Saint Moses begins as an enigma, but then becomes a beacon of hope for Malik. He realizes that change is possible, even for someone who has lived in such darkness. Yet it is not cheap grace. Such repentance comes with deep sobriety and commitment. By the end of the film, Malik chooses this very difficult path of repentance and new life rather than continuing down the road of violence. His repentance is costly, painful, and sobering. The film leaves the viewer wrestling with what true repentance really means. As I watched this movie, I could not help but think of the parallel with today’s Gospel reading, the parable of the Loving Father and the Prodigal Son. To the older brother, the younger son is beyond redemption. He disgraced the family name. He effectively declared his father dead by demanding his inheritance early. He wasted everything on a life of self-indulgence and immorality, ending up in the lowest place imaginable - feeding pigs and being so hungry he thought of eating the slop the pigs ate. And yet, when the younger son comes to his senses and remembers who he is and who his Father is, despite his fallen condition, he humbly returns back home. And in response to his return, the father runs to him, embraces him, restores him fully, and kills the fatted calf in celebration. This is incomprehensible to the older brother. The older son was the faithful, obedient, and dutiful one. Yet, he couldn’t understand his Father’s mercy. This was a scandal of mercy! The tragedy of the older brother is that although he lived with the father all his life, he never adopted the father’s heart. He couldn’t even comprehend his father’s mercy. The older brother sees his younger brother as irredeemable because of his sins. Despite following the rules, he hadn’t cultivated a spirit of grace. And because of this, he cannot forgive. He cannot see his brother as anything other than a miserable scoundrel who deserves no mercy. How many of us, people who call ourselves followers of Jesus Christ, fall into this same trap? We may be faithful in outward observance of the faith. We may do the right things, attending church regularly and following all the rules and ritual. Yet if we do not cultivate a heart of mercy, we risk becoming like the religious leaders whom Jesus rebuked when He said, “Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” This is what makes the movie Moses the Black so challenging. The film forces us to confront a difficult truth: can someone who has committed terrible crimes as a gang banger, someone who has lived in profound darkness and brought darkness and death to others, still be redeemed? Our Heavenly Father runs out to meet such people and welcome them home. He kills the fatted calf even for such people as Malik! Perhaps especially for people like Malik! That is the scandal of mercy. We should always remember who the first person to enter Paradise was. Not a saint. Not a righteous man. But a criminal, someone who openly admitted that he deserved the punishment he was receiving. And yet, in the final moments of his life, he turned to Christ and said, “Remember me, Lord, when You come into Your Kingdom,” Jesus killed the fatted calf by responding, “Today you will be with Me in Paradise.” This is the scandal of mercy; the scandal of our faith. And it is a scandal we must be careful not to reject. The older brother lived with the father his entire life, yet he never came to know his father. Obedience alone is never enough if it is not accompanied by love. Faithfulness to rules means little if it does not transform our hearts into hearts of mercy. When the prodigal son returns, the Father doesn’t dwell on the shame, the waste, or the dishonor. He sees only one thing: “My son was lost and is found. He was dead and is alive again.” The response of the father is pure joy. This is the love and redemption God offers to the world, no matter how dark and lost it may seem. Sadly, we don’t know if the older brother ever entered into the joy of the feast. He was trapped in law, order, and fairness, and he allowed his resentment to hinder his heart from understand the joy of mercy. Let us remember this as we prepare for our Great Lenten journey, a journey of discovery that will hopefully help us come to a deeper understanding of God’s rich mercy and grace. Don’t focus simply on obeying the rules of fasting and following all the ritual of this holy season. Remember what the goal is. To discover the scandal of God’s mercy and grace. May God soften our hearts so that we can rejoice in the redemption of others, no matter how ridiculous it may seem. For in the end, the measure of our faith is not how perfectly we follow the rules, but how deeply we reflect the merciful love of our Heavenly Father.