I have been singing a lot about mercy - most recently as part of the quartet in Allegri’s Miserere, a setting of Psalm 51, on Ash Wednesday. In the Prayer of Humble Access before receiving the Eucharist, we say:
“But thou art the same Lord, whose property is always to have mercy.”
But what is mercy?
At Choral Classics today at St Stephen Walbrook, we heard music and readings which helped us to to gain a better understanding of this virtue. In between music sung by a quartet of choral scholars from St Martin in the Fields, Reverend Alastair McKay read an extract from Chapter 8 of “Journey Towards Reconciliation” by John Paul Lederach. Inspired by Psalm 85 verse 10 (Mercy and truth are met together; justice and peace have kissed each other), he uses what he calls “moral imagination” to depict each of the four concepts as a person - acting out an imaginary meeting between the four.
John Paul Lederach is a Mennonite Christian and has spent a lifetime supporting people in conflict resolution. He founded the Center for Justice and Peace Building at Eastern Mennonite University, where Reverend Alastair has also studied. He says he first used this approach of “moral imagination” while working in Nicaragua, where he formed part of an ecumenical team helping to bring an end to the inter-religious conflict which developed during the time of the revolution there. The different parties involved in the conflict were asked to act out each concept and interact in a group by questioning each other.
John Paul Lederach has explained how this process allows participants not only to imagine themselves in a relationship with their enemy (which he considers fundamental to peace) but also to realise that the solution to most problems is rarely dualistic. In “The Meeting” - the complexities of the interactions between mercy, truth, justice and peace soon becomes apparent;
“Mercy rose slowly and spoke, "I am Mercy." He seemed to begin with a plea, as though he knew that he, among them all, was under tight scrutiny. "And I am the new beginning. I am concerned with people and their relationships.
Acceptance, compassion and support stand with me. I know the frailty of the human condition. Who among them is perfect?" he turned to Truth and continued with his eyes on her. "She knows that her light can bring clarity but too often it blinds and burns. What freedom is there without life and relationship? Forgiveness is indeed our child, but not when people are arrogantly clubbed to humiliation and agony with their imperfections and weaknesses. Our child was birthed to provide for the healing."
"But Brother Mercy," I could not resist the immediacy of the question. "In your rush to accept, support, and move ahead do you not abort the child?"
"I do not cover Truth's light," he reacted quickly. "You must understand. I am Mercy. I am built of steadfast love that undergirds life itself. It is my purpose in life to bring forward the eternal grace of new beginnings."
"And whom do you fear most?" I asked.
Mercy turned and faced Justice. "My brother Justice," he said in a clear voice. "In his haste to change and make things right, he forgets that his roots lie in real people and relationships."
I found the idea of “moral imagination” captivating. It made me think of all the beautiful Burne Jones windows we have at Christ Church Southgate depicting many of the Christian virtues - I wonder what they might say to each other if they came to life. Mercy isn’t depicted as one of the stained glass windows in Southgate but Burne Jones’s painting ‘The Merciful Knight’ (1863 - and considered one of his most important early works) is a fascinating depiction of this virtue. Burne Jones describes the scene as showing;
“a knight who forgave his enemy when he might have destroyed him and how the image of Christ kissed him in token that his acts had pleased God.”
The early preparatory studies (one of which from the Tate Collections is shown above) drew criticism at the time for being too homoerotic.
It would be wonderful to encourage visitors to the church to reflect on the virtues that they see depicted in our windows, and make up their own stories!
Links
John Paul Lederach “The Meeting Place” from Journey Towards Reconciliation :https://www.colorado.edu/conflict/transform/jplchpt.htm
Transcript of an interview with John Paul Lederach 12 January 2012 :https://onbeing.org/programs/john-paul-lederach-the-art-of-peace/
Religion in Nicaragua : https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Nicaragua
The Merciful Knight by Edward Burne Jones : https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Merciful_Knight
Composition Study for The Merciful Knight by Edward Burne Jones :http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/burne-jones-composition-study-for-the-merciful-knight-verso-study-for-a-nativity-a00083
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