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\u201cBlessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy\u201d - Matthew 5:7. A literal translation (from the original Greek)reads, \u201cExceedingly fortunate are the merciful, for they shall be set free.\u201d Therefore, those who extend mercy are themselves liberated! This lines up with the \u2018Parable of the Unmerciful Servant\u2019 in Matthew 18:32-34, "Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I cancelled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had mercy on you?' In anger his master delivered him to the tormentors until he paid all that was owing to him.\u201d Being unmerciful imprisons you, but showing mercy will set you free! \n\nWhat is mercy? A devoted mother once approached Napoleon seeking a pardon for her son. The emperor replied that the young man had committed a certain offence twice and justice demanded death. "But I don't ask for justice," the mother explained. "I plead for mercy." "But your son does not deserve mercy," Napoleon replied. "Sir," the woman cried, "It would not be mercy if he deserved it, and mercy is all I ask for." "Well, then," the emperor said, "I will have mercy." And he spared the woman's son. This is the essence of mercy. Mercy is compassion on someone based on their need. It is not justice, for mercy extends compassion on others in spite of their deserving it. The Lord tells us that we should extend mercy to others and then be able to receive mercy in return. And in this Beatitude He is teaching us that mercy should be a \u2018lifestyle\u2019 - an integral part of our daily Christian walk.