Jesus said to his disciples: “I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.” Jesus could speak so forcefully because he knew in the depths of his being that “with the Lord is kindness and… plenteous redemption…” (Ps. 130). Jesus’ insistence upon mercy comforts and challenges me. Comforts because I daily need forgiveness. Challenges because my passion for truth and justice, now more than ever, must process how to respond to the vitriolic, self-righteous rhetoric spewing from our faith and civic communities. Some of the comments I read on next door are poisonous, one of the reasons I avoid Facebook and other social media. Some of the stories I hear from wounded people who come for spiritual direction break my heart and make me fighting angry.
A consideration of New Orleans “neutral grounds” might be helpful. These grassy medians between busy streets originally separated neighborhoods of different ethnicities. They offer higher ground, safe places to park cars during deluges, catch a street car, and perhaps to discover commonality with folks from other tribes who access news from different sources, attend different churches, or speak foreign (to us) languages.
Prayer enables access to higher ground where our better angels can be heard. On Golgotha’s holy mountain, Christ’s prayer for the forgiveness of his crucifiers can comfort our hurting hearts. If He, the sinless one, could desire mercy, why can’t we?