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\u201cBlessed are those who care about weak people. When they are in trouble, the Lord saves them.\u201d (Psalm 41:1).

\xa0Jesus aptly sums up Psalm 41 when he says, "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy" (Matthew 5:7).

Some of us can learn mercy by reading about it in the Bible. Many more of us learn mercy by taking the plunge and practicing it.

Some years ago, the story of Sister Helen Prejean was portrayed in the movie Dead Man Walking. Joining a correspondence program for death row inmates, she begins exchanging letters with Gary. As his execution date approaches, he asks Helen to be his spiritual guide.

Helen recoils at the idea of visiting a convicted rapist and murderer, let alone ministering to him. But responding to the nudging within her soul, she overcomes her fear. Gary is cocky and arrogant, refusing to admit his guilt and insists that he is the innocent victim of a corrupt legal system.

She is despised and publicly vilified by the victims' parents for spending time with Gary. How could she, a deeply religious nun, befriend this cold-blooded murderer? They are horrified and let her know it frequently.

Despite these difficult barriers, Sister Helen risks her name, her reputation, her own safety, to reach across them and embrace Gary with the love of God. The more she perseveres in loving him, the more his defences begin to crumble. Finally on the night before his execution, Gary confesses to his crime and asks for God's forgiveness.

She decides to stay for the execution, explaining to Gary, "the last face I want you to see before you die is not one of hatred and vengeance, but one of love and mercy."

Some of us learn mercy by reading about it in our Bibles. But most of us, like Sister Helen Prejean, learn mercy by offering it to those who least deserve it, to those who are unclean, who are despised and rejected by society.

How have we learned to be merciful? Or should we back up a step and ask, have we learned to be merciful? Mercy is one of God's qualities and thus needs to become a characteristic of his followers. Kindness, a similar virtue, makes it into the list of the Spirit\u2019s fruit (Galatians 5:22-23).

Like Helen Prejean, David experiences deep loneliness in this psalm. Everyone appears to have turned against him, even his close friend. People visit him in his sick bed, acting as companions, but when they leave, they spread slander about him among the neighbours.

David can endure the trials because he firmly believes that God will lift up those who have "regard for the weak", those who are full of mercy. God stands opposed to the proud but lifts up the weak. Peter offers this application, \u201cAll of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because \u2018God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble\u2019. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God\u2019s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you\u201d (1 Peter 5:5-7).

This is not a reward system, \u201cdo this and God will pay you back in kind\u201d. This is a deep reality of the universe. It is not the proud and self sufficient who win. Mercy and love are stronger and last longer that self aggrandizement.

In an age and culture that is deeply divided, in which verbal virtual bombs are launched in all directions, Christians are being called to reach across institutional, cultural, and social walls to have regard for the weak. As you walk through the day (today or tomorrow) ask God to open your eyes that you may see the weak. And ask for a spirit of mercy.