The Sermon on the Mount 3 - Matt 5:7-8

Jesus continues, “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” This is in line with many of the Savior’s other teachings, such as the parable of the unmerciful servant, and the many teachings on judgment. The IM says, “This is one of the many times the Savior taught that they way we treat others affects how God will treat us. President Gordon B. Hinckley wrote: ‘I plead for a stronger spirit of compassion in all of our relationships, a stronger element of mercy, for if we are merciful we shall obtain mercy from the Ultimate Judge… It is impressive to watch those who with a compelling spirit of kindness reach out to those in distress, to help and assist, to fee and provide for, to nurture and to bless. As these extend mercy, I am confident that the God of Heaven will bless them, and their posterity after them, with His own mercy… One cannot be merciful to others without receiving a harvest of mercy in return. The Prophet Joseph Smith placed mercy in the context of forgiving others: ‘Ever keep in exercise the principle of mercy, and be ready to forgive our brother on the first intimations of repentance, and asking forgiveness; and should we ever forgive our brother, or even our enemy, before he repent of ask forgiveness, our heavenly Father would be equally as merciful unto us.’” Most of us aren’t in a position of power over others to whom we may or may not show mercy, so how does this apply to us specifically? We might not have power to dictate over others, but we do spend most of our time in the presence of other people and the way that we think about, perceive and interact with them might be one of the ways the Savior is talking about here. When we are merciful to someone, even if we aren’t their boss or parent, if we’re just their friend or colleague, we would recognize that everyone makes mistakes and not berate them about theirs, just like we wouldn’t like them to berate us about ours. We could encourage them when they need it, or uplift them when they are feeling down. I think that the person that we are the most unmerciful to is ourselves. When we see others being unmerciful to themselves, then we could step in and help them see that everyone makes mistakes and we can always change for the better. In the case of a parent, our children really are at our mercy, and that’s incredibly scary. I know that for me, there are so many times when I want my kids to really pay for their mistakes with the hope that they will learn their lesson and not do that anymore. And I think that there is a fine line between teaching and entitling and I’m afraid that I lean more to the “teaching” side. I have to tell myself repeatedly that they are just children, and that they need love and service just like the rest of us. Being merciful is forgiving, even when they don’t ask for it, being kind when someone is harsh, and being a friend to someone who acts unfriendly.

“Blessed are the pure in heard: for they shall see God.” This one has always been difficult for me to understand, what exactly is “pure in heart?” I’ve thought about this a lot and it’s a difficult concept for me because I feel like so much “purity” can be taken away from someone, especially when they are young, by experiences that are horrific. Through abuse or neglect or abject poverty a lot of innocence can be lost through no fault of our own. I’ve struggled with this for some time because I felt like the opportunity for me to be pure in heart had been robbed from me, but what I’ve come to learn is that being pure in heart is a choice and eventually can be earned back. The IM quotes Elder Gerald N. Lund as teaching, “Purity of heart is certainly one of the most important qualifications for receiving inspiration from God. While none of our hearts are perfect, the more diligently we strive to eliminate impurity, or push out things which do nor belong there, the more we open our hearts to the Holy Spirit.” This makes it clear that purity isn’t something you’re born with and have to maintain, it’s something that can be gained and cultivated over time. I find myself increasingly sensitive to others and to right and wrong. I find myself more sensitive to the Spirit or more accurately, the loss of the Spirit, and that becomes more important to me as I grow spiritually. The IM says, “Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles discussed the connection between being pure in heart and being able to see God: ‘Purity of heart is a figure for purity of soul. They are the ones who received a remission of their sins in the waters of baptism; who, after baptism, have so lived as to retain a remission of sins; who have had their sins burned out of their souls as though by fire by the power of the Holy Ghost. They are God-fearing and righteous souls; and being pure, they qualify to see and associate with other pure beings, the chief of whom is the Lord of purity.’”