Reflections on the Christological Foundations of Interpersonal Mercy Based on Selected Church Fathers

U članku se, na tragu promišljanja izabranih crkvenih otaca, obrađuje tema kristološkog utemeljenja međuljudskog milosrđa. U uvodnom se dijelu naznačuju opasnosti koje mogu pratiti međuljudsko milosrđe ukoliko ga se reducira samo na tjelesno ili duhovno djelo milosrđa, tj. samo na čin. U nastavku se, kroz dva poglavlja, ukazuje na bitne teološke sadržaje koji osvjetljuju milosrđe kao otajstveni osobni odnos između Boga i čovjeka te ljudi međusobno. U prvom se poglavlju obrađuju otački naglasci o Božjem milosrđu iskazanu kroz čudesnu razmjenu u kojoj je Bog postao čovjekom da bi čovjeka učinio dionikom svoje božanske naravi. Činjenica da je to dioništvo već djelomice ostvareno po Sinovljevu utjelovljenju, muci i smrti prva je pretpostavka koja čovjeku omogućuje nasljedovanje Isusova poziva da bude milosrdan kao Otac (usp. Lk 6, 36). Drugo je poglavlje usmjereno govoru o međuljudskom milosrđu. Ondje se prvo ukazuje na otačke tekstove koji, polazeći od mističkog tumačenja Mt 25, 40 (»Što god učiniste jednom od moje najmanje braće, meni učiniste«), prema kojem se Isus Krist kao proslavljeni poistovjećuje sa svakim čovjekom, ističu da je milosrđe učinjeno čovjeku učinjeno i Kristu. Potom se obrađuju tekstovi iz kojih je razvidno da je međuljudsko milosrđe nemoguće bez trajne Božje pomoći te, na koncu, oni koji jasno daju do znanja da je milosrđe među ljudima istodobno i očitovanje već dogođenog pobožanstvenjenja i put prema njegovu konačnom ispunjenju. U zaključku se konstatira da međuljudsko milosrđe svoj puni smisao i snagu zadobiva iz činjenice duboke i trajne ontološke povezanosti Boga i čovjeka.This article deals with the topic of Christological foundations of interpersonal mercy on the basis of reflections of selected Church Fathers. The introduction points out the dangers that might accompany interpersonal mercy when it is reduced to only physical or spiritual acts of mercy, i.e. on an act. In the continuation, through two chapters, the important theological contents of mercy as a mysterious personal relation between God and the human being (as well as between human beings) are pointed out. The first chapter analyses the patristic reflections on God´s mercy expressed through the miraculous exchange in which God became a human being in order to make the human being a participant in his divine nature. The fact that this participation has partially been realised already in the Son´s incarnation, suffering, and death is the first premise on the basis of which the human being can follow Jesus’ call to be merciful as the Father is merciful (cf. Lk 6:36). The second chapter engages with the discourse on interpersonal mercy. It first refers to those patristic texts that point out that mercy done to a human being is mercy done to Christ. They are basing this claim on a mystical interpretation of Mt 25:40 (»Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.«), according to which Jesus Christ, after being taken into glory, identifies himself with every human being. After that, the chapter analyses those texts that deny the possibility of interpersonal mercy without the continuous help of God and those texts that clearly point out that interpersonal mercy is, at the same time, a manifestation of already occurred divinisation and a way towards its completion. The conclusion points out that interpersonal mercy finds its full meaning and power in the fact of deep and continuous ontological relatedness of God and the human being