Reflections
"Not according to our sins
does He deal with us."
Our psalmist sings the praises
of a divine and loving God,
who surrounds us with
compassion, pardons our sins,
heals our ills.
compassion, pardons our sins,
heals our ills.
He nurses no lasting anger,
He has not dealt with us as our
sins deserve. Our duty is to
remain faithful to the Lord,
sins deserve. Our duty is to
remain faithful to the Lord,
as we are His children,
and to treat His anointed ones
with love and compassion,
as He would do.
as He would do.
We are to be merciful to our enemies
by imitating the Father. The Psalm
tells us how:
by imitating the Father. The Psalm
tells us how:
“Merciful and gracious is the Lord,
Slow to anger and abounding in kindness.”
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,”
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
in Christ’s divinity, by allowing the Holy
Spirit within us to guide us. Only then
will we have the kind of compassion
the psalmist speaks about.
As the Psalm says, God’s love towers 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.
The Psalm says it well:
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has He put our transgressions behind us.
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our Psalm speaks of a loving and compassionate God,
who does not deal with us according to our sins. Are you able
to treat those who have harmed you in the same way? Explain.
2. The verses of the Psalm remind us of the power of the
Sacrament of Reconciliation, "As far as the east is from the west,
so far has He put our transgressions behind us." Relate how the
Sacrament works for you to put your sins behind you.
I am not proud to admit it... but I have called upon "the wrath of God" to strike my enemies. As is often the case, these instances involve my children and wrongs done to them. A mother's heart hurts doubly when her child is betrayed, injured, rejected, or undermined by another.
ReplyDeleteI know that Scripture details what God says..."Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip..." Deuteronomy 32:35. This verse is referred back to in the New Testament several times as Paul exhorts early Christians not to repay evil with evil. For example, Romans 12:19 says, "Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God; for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay says the Lord.'"
This is no easy task even if I have received mercy that I do not deserve. How easy it is to rationalize that God loves me and his forgiveness of MY sins is a wonderful thing. But His forgiveness of another's sin? And on top of that, MY forgiveness of a wrongdoer's sin against my family or me? Not in my strength. I am not able to reach this point of generosity or grace without his help. I must consciously choose to surrender -- to allow his goodness to flow through me and take over. Only then, can I forgive an enemy, even if I have to submit and yield many times a day.
In this act of forgiving, whether my foe accepts it or even knows about it, I can relate more closely to God's goodness. As David writes in v.2 of the Psalm, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits..." In other words, once I forgive, I get to reap the benefits of healing, peace, and joy... and I am rescued from "the Pit" (v.4) of resentment and anger.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!