Neida--What is mercy?

One may ask does mercy even exist We live in a world where the last thing we even think when we see all the distress, all the pain in the world, Is mercy.The saying goes..."those who are merciful will be shown mercy." If it was that easy, wouldn't we have world peace? The secret to achieve a world of peace, a world of joy, depends on you. We were born with the ability to choose to do good or to do evil. That's just already destined in our books since we were born, but many times we think that going the “good route” is just too difficult rather than easy. No one ever said that being a Saint is possible with a mere snap of the fingers. The truth is we have to strive to do good, and in doing good we receive great things. See, the decision to be a merciful person goes hand and hand with being on the good route, the good path of life. Although it is difficult, in the end it serves a greater purpose, what we do in life is a model to others. Like a a game of Dominoes, one simple action can inspire others to do the same, in hope of a positive reaction. We as humans, we get hurt easily and depending on the circumstance, the hardest thing to do is to forgive those who have hurt us, or has hurt our loved ones. Learning to overcome the hatred or the pain towards the person is the first step in being a merciful person. Huge events such as The San Bernardino shooting which took place earlier this month is a perfect example in how one can show mercy. As we all know, early in December, December second to be precise, a calm busy city, stood silent for one day. Through fear and pain, in waiting for news of who survived or to understand what really happened in that facility, being quite was the only thing the citizens of San Bernardino could do. It wasn’t too long ago, and the memory of the shooting will be forever in our memories. We will remember what we were doing the moment we found out what happened, some of us feeling the sense of relief that our family members were away from that danger or that they reported they were okay. It wasn’t until the second day, that second day, the third day of December was the hardest. Those who were in shock realized what happened. The news came out, we found out about the shooters, we learned about the Victims and their families. It was towards the end of the day, I had an event at church, and I sat down at the pews in the church, the lights went dim and one light illuminated the altar. Pictures were displayed on the screen, unfamiliar faces were displayed until I recognized one. I never had the privilege to meet this man but I knew his wife. His name was Damien Meins, his wife, Trina Meins, was the principal of the Sacred Heart Parish school. As our the pastor of our parish announced the tragedy, he shared a couple of things that impacted me the most. He told us that Trina sent her appreciation to us, as we prayed for her and her family, but she also asked us to pray for those lost souls who committed this crime. Those simple words, are the strongest most powerful words a person can do to be merciful. Putting myself in Trina’s shoes, I could imagine myself filled with pain and hatred towards that couple who killed my husband, the man whom I loved, leaving me alone with two daughters. I don't know how she and her family is at the moment, how they will spend their Christmas. Nevertheless, she is truly an example to us all, her courage is an inspiration. She may or may not be able to truly forgive them at this moment in time but to ask for prayers for them is a start. Mercy, a simple but difficult task, depending on the situation. In Trina’s case, forgiveness is an important step in walking in the righteous path of good. There may be darkness in the world, but one person, the person who chooses to do good can truly make a difference, and with that difference it is a small but huge step in piecing back the disorder of this world. In this upcoming year of 2016, in order for us to build a successful and peaceful future, we are called to be merciful. Religious or not, we are all highly capable of giving a helping hand to others, feeding the needy, being peaceful to your neighbor, and simply showing love to others. You make a difference, and sometimes we all need to be reminded that simple acts, lead to greater things.