1.2-CedricPrakashSJ
The other day I was writing a document. Somebody was standing by my side and spilled his whole cup of coffee on it. I had done a lot of work. I had made all my markings. And it was all blotched. At first, I did not know how to react. But now he will never forget the way I decided to react. I just asked him, ‘Shall I make you another cup of coffee?’ These are small, simple, daily things by which we can make a person’s day or break a person. If I’m experiencing God’s mercy for my sins, how do I communicate this mercy—this unconditional love—to the people around me? By being present with them, by listening, by holding a hand, by a touch? I am trying to do it in the small, ordinary things of daily life. It’s not about the extraordinary. When the Lord’s mercy touches me, it influences my attitude and behavior. I become a spark, a way of proceeding. I become a new approach. That is mercy to me. It’s not just ‘Don’t worry about what you’ve done. I forgive you.’ Mercy is not lip service. Mercy is about a tangible, living, vibrant act that forever grows, that deepens.  

MORE STORIES

Earl Frost

Earl Frost discovered his talent for music thanks to the support that others showed in him. In this audio clip, he shares what he has learned about faith.

VIEW THIS STORY

Tom McGrath

Clearly my father understood his situation: he was dying and there was more pain to come. And yet here he was saying, as if he was letting us in on a secret, ‘All in all, we’re in pretty good shape.’ Was this just the medicine talking? The truth is that I had heard those words…

VIEW THIS STORY

Joe Schneider

I was a bomber pilot in World War II. We were the bombers who were knocking out hundreds of bridges in Italy. We became known as the ‘Bridge Busters’. We had to fly straight and level, otherwise we would never hit a 100-foot bridge. It was very touch-and-go. And we lost an awful lot of…

VIEW THIS STORY

Tony and Grace Naudi

[Grace] You want to get on in the world, you want to be a success, and you think that’s really important. But in the end, that’s not what’s most important. The important thing is to find yourself, to know yourself, and to be grateful for what you have. You tend to exclude the frivolous things…

VIEW THIS STORY

Razanamialy Simone

[W]ith the grace of God I changed. I continue to work as a laundrywoman and now have some savings. My community does not see me as a parasite anymore. I have a good relationship with my daughters. They give me pocket money that I use to buy yogurt. I even managed to improve my house;…

VIEW THIS STORY

Earl Frost

I think my faith grew the most when I left home and came to Boston. I knew nobody. I wasn’t going to church at the time. If somebody wanted to hire me to play the piano at a church, I’d go, but I was looking for money. Don’t play with my money! But they told…

VIEW THIS STORY