Reflections
“As the heavens tower over the earth,
so God's mercy towers over those
who fear Him.”
Our psalmist sings the praises of a
divine and loving God, who surrounds
us with compassion, pardons our sins,
heals our ills.
God will deliver us as He delivered the
Israelites from their affliction at the hands
of the Egyptians. (Exodus 3:7-8)
“God delivers your life from the pit,
surrounds you with love and compassion.”
God nurses no lasting anger, He has not
dealt with us as our sins deserve.
But God demands something of us
in return – that we cleanse ourselves
from evil desires and avoid sin.
St Paul warns us, “Whoever thinks
he is standing secure should take care
not to fall.” (1 Corinthians 10:12)
Jesus says it more powerfully in today's
Gospel, “If you do not repent, you will
all perish.” (Luke 13:5)
The Lord’s patience with us is a gift –
“Merciful and gracious is the Lord,
slow to anger, abounding in kindness.”
Our duty is to remain faithful to the Lord,
as His children, and to treat His anointed ones
with love and compassion, as He would do.
We are to be merciful to our enemies by
imitating Jesus. Who can love their enemies,
and do good to them? It will be difficult if
we allow our earthly nature to rule us.
Just as God has not dealt with us as our
sins merit, so must we have compassion
on those we may be inclined to condemn.
We cannot imitate God without a share
in Christ’s divinity, by allowing the Holy
Spirit within us to guide us. Only then
will we have the kind of compassion the
Psalm speaks about.
And as our psalmist says, God’s love will
tower over us if we are his faithful.
If we love the Lord, it will show in our hearts,
and the old things will then pass away.
What could be a better lesson for our
Lenten journey.
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our psalmist assures us that God in His compassion will redeem our life
from the 'pit.' But we must do our part and show repentance. Describe how
during Lent you are becoming kinder and more merciful to your family and
your neighbors.
2. The Psalm inspires us to bless the Lord and 'forget not all His benefits.'
Speak of your gratitude for the gifts you have received from God.
God's mercy, in His Sacraments of the Eucharist and Confession, has blessed me in many ways. He has cleansed me and made me new. He has showered me with oceans of mercy and strengthened me by feeding me with His love, His Word, and hope. It is my desire to please Him by bringing others to Him, so they can have eternal life.
ReplyDeleteThe Psalmist David taught me how to praise God because God forgives our sins and heals us in his compassion. David said that God's love will tower over us if we are his faithful. During our Lenten journey I want to recall our psalmist's affirmation about our Lord's promise.
ReplyDeleteWhen God forgives our sin He has wiped our record clean. In other words, He forgives and forgets our sins. He is truly merciful. In this way God wants me to forgive my neighbor's wrong-doings and forget all who offended me in the past. It is a gift of God for me to do so.
I can now be more generous and meek toward my neighbors who are not forgivable and lovable. Because of God's grace I am able to forgive their wrong-doings.
As I keep trying to do God's will, my attitude has been changing. I am becoming more gentle and merciful because God renews my spirit whenever I confess my sins. He showers me with a blessing of forgiveness. He redeems my life.