Mercy: To be available for the Others who are in difficulty

This year we will have many conferences and talks based on the theme of Mercy. We cannot speak or write unless we have the experience of mercy in our own personal lives. To be merciful one one needs to have the experience of being shown mercy by someone. When we are in difficulties which can be physical, moral and emotional and we receive mercy and forgiveness from those concerned gives us new hope and confidence. When in difficulties what we need is the Love of someone and understanding of those who can make us feel accepted and rejected. The feeling that someone is there for me leads to accept your faults and failures and be responsible for ones life. 

I would like to narrate an incident about a young man of 32 years old. Fell in love but couldn't marry the girl because of family opposition from both the sides. She got married to someone and he got married with another girl of the choice of his parents Right from beginning he did not like nor have love towards here. Slowly but steadily with the support of friends and family he began to love her. They had three children. But down their relationship and deep within he carried that dislike. And the feeling returned to him. He began to hate her. He took up to drinks. He began absenting himself at work place. The bosses were kind and loving towards him. They always offered him time to overcome his drunk news but no results. At home the family neglected him. They only accused him. There was no body to understand him why was he drinking. No one sat with him and felt his pain and sufferings. He was longing for some kind of understanding and pat on his back in his difficulties. He continued suffering and that led him to drink more. His wife and children began to reject and show hatred towards him. The bosses were no more kind and tolerant as he began to absent himself too often. He was dismissed from his good job which was the only source of sustaenance to the family. This added some more pain and sufferings. 

He still hoped for someone who to listen to him. He wanted that one could allow him to open up himself. He had a lot stored within. Even his better half could not offer that love and mercy. All the ways and mean were closed to him. He drank to his own death. At his funeral all spoke many things. Many spoke bad of him. Some called him drunkard. The family felt that they have lost their burden. While cleaning his room, clothes and books, they found about 50 pages written addressed to his family. In which he writes that he wanted love, understanding and mercy. He did not want sermons and homilies, sympathy and criticism but acceptance and embraces of love in his difficulties.