Excessive mercy

WORD of LIFE:  Matthew 5:17-20
‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter,* not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks* one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus is the fulfillment of God's law.  This means that to know what pleases God, what completes God's ultimate intentions for the human being, we are to look at and listen to Jesus.  He fully embodies God's justice, God's goodness, God's truth and health.  The law of God is defined as God's good and perfect will for all creation. And we know that we cannot fulfill or complete it.  We fail to do the things we know we ought to do; we do the things we know we ought not to do; we do and say the wrong things or fail to do or say the right things without actually knowing it.  Nevertheless, we are not exempt from the threat of the law of God.  There are conditions for life on earth, set by God, with which we fail to comply.  Thankfully, Jesus of Nazareth embodies and demonstrates for us what it means to live fully into God's will, God's hope and intentions for us all.   And he challenges us to live more like him, to imitate his life, and to do what is right and good and true even if it kills us.

Today, I received a call from a woman. A mutual friend referred her to me.  She and her family (husband and 3 young kids) are stranded about an hour east of Lancaster, near Philadelphia.  They have no working vehicle, no money, and no housing for tonight.  She sought assistance. I am reluctant to spend money to help them.  I found out that they have a bad history with transitional housing in Lancaster county.  They did not follow the rules.  They destroyed property.  And the reason they left for Philly was to seek shelter with family after their situation fell apart here.  They will not be welcomed back here by some parts of the homeless relief community.  They may face criminal charges for their behavior, according to social service professionals who dealt with them recently.
They tell another story; That they were mistreated here; that they are trying to do what is right and judged wrongly by relief organizations ans churches. That they care for their children.  That they were misunderstood and misguided by people who were supposed to help and support them.  
Given their situation and the concern for the children, I called law enforcement in their current location.  A police officer arrived and is intervening as I write this blog.  After hearing the story I heard from social service agencies today, I was reluctant to provide any assistance at all.  But I spoke with both of the adults on the phone and realize that, even if they have broken rules and failed to comply with systems of assistance, they and their children do not deserve to be cast out and left homeless.
Fulfillment of the law means to love as Christ loves, to show mercy, to bear the grief of others with them, to be close to those at the bottom of the human pyramid, to make peace, to admit spiritual poverty and failure, to do the right thing even when it is hard or unaccepted.  Today, calling on reinforcements in the police department was the right thing to do.  Some might think any intervention on my part was excessive.  I didn't have to do anything.  I could have said, "Sorry, we can't help you." Some would not have any problem responding in that way.  But I chose to do something because they are human beings in need of mercy.   Hopefully, this family will experience mercy tonight and a desire tomorrow to set things right.
Prayer
Jesus, you complete the law of God by means of sacrificial love.  You provide healing mercy for those who suffer. You care for the homeless and those in distress.  Be with this family and any family experiencing homelessness tonight.  Amen.