DEFINITION  OF  MERCY: 

“GIVE  ME  A  BREAK!” 

The title of my homily for this Mass for you in the 3rd, 4th and 5th grades is, “Definition of Mercy: Give Me a Break”

Can you all repeat after me the following: “Mercy: Give Me a Break.”

When I raise my hand like this [Gesture] could you say, “Mercy: Give Me a Break.”

A kid is clumsy and he keeps on tripping over his own feet and everyone makes fun of him and he says, [Gesture] “Mercy: Give Me a Break.”

A teenage sister gets braces for her teeth and her younger brother keeps kidding her on how funny she looks and she says, [Gesture] “Mercy: Give Me a Break.”

A kid is too short, too tall, too fat or too skinny and other kids make fun of  their shape or size, so the kid says, [Gesture] “Mercy: Give Me a Break.”

A kid misses a tap in volleyball and all the way home in the SUV the other kids are needling her for her miss that lost the game and she says, [Gesture] “Mercy: Give Me a Break.”

A kid forgets her homework - it’s on her desk at home - and the teacher is on her case and the kids says, [Gesture] “Mercy: Give Me a Break.”

A teacher is having a bad day. Her dog is sick. Her cat is sick. Her husband just lost his job. And last night it rained and knocked a tree over in their driveway and the kids in her class are noisy and bothersome, so she says, [Gesture] “Mercy: Give Me a Break.”

So that’s my definition and description of what mercy means.

It means giving someone a break.

Pope Francis was working hard every day he was here in the United States and Cuba and never once did he say, [Gesture] “Mercy: Give Me a Break.”

The gospel you picked for this Mass is from Matthew 25: 31: 46. It listed a whole lot of people who wanted a break. The hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the person without clothes, the sick, those in jail -  all those people were saying to anyone who could help them, [Gesture] “Mercy: Give Me a Break.”

Last week when the pope was here he went to see some people who were in prison and people who were poor and people in a soup kitchen - all kinds of people who were saying, [Gesture] “Mercy: Give Me a Break.”

And based on what I was seeing on television he kept going, and going, and going like the Energizer Bunny. Along the streets when he was in his popemobile, he got out and people were handing him babies and little children from the back of the line so he could bless them and kiss them. I’m sure the guards were thinking that the pope would love to say, [Gesture] “Mercy: Give Me a Break.”  

But he didn’t.

And that’s the message this pope hopes all of us will put into practice for this year that's coming up  - that all of us give each other a break - that we show mercy to each other.

Did you know that Jesus was not fair? Did you know that God is not fair?

God likes to make mercy be much more important than justice.

Jesus told a story about two brothers. One was perfect. He was the older brother. The younger brother wasn’t. He left home and went far away and ended up a total disaster. He hit bottom. I noticed that Pope Francis told this story of the Prodigal Son the other day and everybody clapped for the Father of those two boys. Well the younger son decided to come home. When his dad saw him coming home over the hill, the father ran and hugged him - even though he needed a shower big time. 

Isn't that a great story about mercy?

His father yelled, “Quick get my son some new clothes, new sandals, clean him up and lets have a big dinner to celebrate his return. The younger son didn’t ask for all this - but he got all this mercy. His father was giving him a break. 

Now, when the older brother who was out working on their farm, heard music and dancing he was wondering what was up. Someone told him that his brother is back. Well, the older brother became angry and furious. 

His dad tried to get him to show mercy to his brother. He said to his dad, "You never did anything so nice for me."

So he wouldn’t go into the house and welcome his brother home. So his father kept saying to him,  [Gesture] “Mercy: Give Me a Break.”

Jesus was off on mercy. That’s where Pope Francis gets his messages.

Jesus once told a story about a man who had a big vineyard.  That’s where they grow grapes. It was time to start picking - so he went down to the marketplace to get some people who would be willing to pick grapes for him. He said he’d give them a daily wage.  They went and he needed more pickers so he went back down at noon and again at three o’clock and again at the last hour. When it got to six and it was time to pay the workers he gave everyone the same amount - a whole day’s pay.

Well, when those who worked the whole day saw that those who only worked an hour or two or three got what they got, they got really angry and the man who owned the vineyard said, [Gesture] “Mercy: Give Me a Break.”

He added, “If I want to be generous, why are you so angry?

Jesus told that story because when we get to heaven we’re going to hear people complain about so and so and so and so being there - and they were so bad and God is going to say, [Gesture] “Mercy: Give Me a Break.”

And everyone is going to laugh.

And even though today’s gospel has these people who were goats - for not feeding the hungry, or visiting the sick, or visiting those in jail and for giving clothes to those who didn’t have any clothes - I’m willing to bet if they said, [Gesture] “Mercy: Give Me a Break.” They would get a get out of jail free deal - because our God is a God of Mercy.

So the title of my homily is be merciful - because God is merciful - so use that on your teachers and your parents when you mess up. Say to them, [Gesture] “Mercy: Give Me a Break.”

And if they call me up for being preaching and teaching them this message this morning, guess what I’m going to tell them, [Gesture] “Mercy: Give Me a Break.”