He said, “Mercy for the weak” is the attribute of compassionate hearts that seek to comfort others. But, “Don’t you think that this is what some people consider a burden that increases the loads of life?” We often hear phrases such as, “We’ve had enough”, “We can comfort others, when we comfort ourselves first.”, as well as other phrases. I kept silent for a while, having my mind overloaded with thoughts. Then I said, “As I told you my friend, mercy is a path that only merciful people can walk in, according to their potential and abilities, and whoever believes that he has a certain role in comforting others, will inevitably find a way, and over time he will realize that he also achieves comfort and happiness for himself.
Surprise marks appeared on my friend’s face. Then, I began to explain what I meant before he started to ask me. I continued saying, “What do you think if everyone does his work honestly and at its best, will this be a burden on him?” He replied, “I don’t think so. It is man’s duty to be honest and faithful in his work. This is what all religions have called for, besides it is one of the most important pillars of successful societies. I said, “Great; I fully agree with you. What I would like to point out is that the first steps of human mercy are that each person should perform his duty and carry out his work faithfully. Let me try to clarify my purpose by drawing a picture of a community in which the doctor works faithfully in treating his patients, the engineer establishes buildings, houses and others meticulously, the teacher explains the lessons ensuring comprehensive understanding as per the students’ needs, the researcher does his best to develop all means of life through his researches, the nurse cares for those who are in need for him, the employee performs the duties of his job precisely and quickly, the worker produces the best he can, the street cleaner strives to decorate the streets of the city, and others.”
“I do not doubt it will be a successful society”, he said. “Moreover, the members of this society will be happy and overwhelmed with pleasure and pride. I remember the story of the Egyptian doctor Wessam Ramzy, who insisted on stopping a train in order to save a child. While they were on a train heading from Assiut to Alexandria, the train’s ticket collector was wondering if there was a doctor on the train to help a 2-year-old child, who was unconscious and almost dying. The doctor then started to make some first aids until the child started to breathe naturally, yet he did not retrieve his consciousness. The doctor then decided to stop the train to take the child to the nearest hospital to save his life. She rushed to the head of the train to help her by stopping the train, to take the child to the nearest hospital. Unfortunately, the train’s driver announced that he could not stop the train before the station “Tanta”, which was about an hour away!! This could have nullified the chance to save the child void. The doctor insisted on stopping the train. The head of the train told the master of Benha station that the driver must stop. At last, the train stopped. The child and his mother found an ambulance and a police car waiting to accompany them. The child was taken to the hospital with his mother, and was treated. You can’t imagine how joyful and comforted, the child’s family was.
You see, my friend. Mercy lies where man does his duty honestly; it gives rest to others, and inevitably everyone will reap the fruits of his mercy.
General Bishop Head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center
