Merciful & Pure Hearts

Jesus says in Matthew 5:7: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” This statement is a relationship-oriented statement. You can’t be merciful in isolation. The act of being merciful implies interactions. The good life belongs to those who love others with a deep actionable love that stands the test of time and goes beyond the minimum standard. Mercy is living in that way. Saint Catherine of Siena once asked, “How can I be God’s friend if He needs nothing from me?” Her answer? “By giving His mercy away.” When you show mercy, you’re not just doing a good deed—you’re choosing to love Jesus by loving like Jesus. Jesus doesn’t call us to behave normally—He calls us to live radically. Living mercifully will make you an exceptional person in the eyes of those who are accustomed to the rules of this world and will earn you the right to talk about Jesus. Being pure in heart is about why you do what you do. Pure of heart is only possible when you make your actions not about you. It is living motivated, strictly by a desire to know God, to live according to his will, purely because you love God and are grateful for what he has already done for you. When you live with mercy and pursue a pure heart You are showing the world a new kind of treatment (mercy), with a new kind of motive (purity), toward a new kind of reward (God Himself).