Jesus said that we are to be merciful as the Father is merciful. This virtue of mercy and compassion is essential to the Christian's journey. In a reflection on the need to be merciful, Pope Francis drew from the Gospel three practical steps to help us how to be merciful in our daily life.

In Luke 6:37 Jesus said: "Judge not, and you will not be judged." How often do we find ourselves slipping into the bad habit of judging others in a negative way? I call it a habit because we fall into it often, almost without realizing it. The Holy Father says: "If I want to be merciful like the Father, as Jesus tells me, I must think: how many times a day do I judge?" 

Many times we judge from outward appearance without knowing the heart of the person being judged. We draw a conclusion without knowing the real facts that a person may be dealing with. Even if we knew the truth about the person, who am I to judge him? God knows the truth about us, our inner thoughts, do we wish him to judge and condemn us on the spot every time? 

It will take the grace of God and our cooperation to begin to change the habit of judging to the habit of mercy and compassion.  But when we do, we will be a better person, even to ourselves.