From: newsletter no. 280 of the Oyugis Integrated Project (Sept.-Dec. 2018) –
The word “Mercy” is very dear to us as employees of Oyugis Integrated project. Why? Because mercy is seen as bringing out life where all hope is lost. Mercy is God’s gift to us to share with others. Mercy is seen as love and loving is doing something for someone else. It requires self-sacrifice and availability. Being merciful comes from the heart and cannot be copied from others.
Mercy never asks for a “how” and a “why” because in the poor we are moved by the divine touch of God Himself. Mercy releases us from self-interest that seeks our own safety and security. Mercy flows from the simple unconditional love of God in us. It is rooted in our hearts.
As merciful people we must be simple workers in the hand of God. In the poor, we are confronted by the face of God. In the face of the poor we see the Christ, he reveals to us the divine essence of human beings. The question we can ask ourselves” Do we really see the face of Christ in the poor? Only when our love is pure and simple we will be close to the poor.
Christ Himself is the model of poverty. Christ in his total self-forgetfulness with regard to His divine dignity wants to be born of a poor mother, He chooses a poor tradesman as foster father, and in all things he opts for poverty. Christ has shown us that poverty is the way to get to heaven.
When we see the face of Christ in the other person, His presence fills us with joy.
Bro. Vincent Odhiambo, Kenya
Previous
Merry Christmas