SCRIPTURE:
Fear not, you shall not be put to shame;
You need not blush, for you shall not be disgraced.
The shame of your youth you shall forget,
The reproach of your widowhood no longer remember.
For he who has become your husband is your Maker;
- Isaiah 54: 4-5
REPENTANCE OPENS THE DOOR TO GOD’S MERCY:
This week’s theme is intimately connected with last week’s. There would be no need of mercy without the existence of sin. Because of sin our relationship with God is severed or ruptured. Bridging the chasm between God and us is beyond our means. If we were capable of doing so there would be no need of God’s help. Our experience of trying not to sin tells us clearly that we cannot span this gap on our own. Mercy is God’s compassion or willingness to suffer with our pain and ignominy and restore us to an authentic relationship with the Divine once again. Mercy is God’s bridge by which we can enter God’s heart. Isaiah 54, from which the scripture quote has been taken, captures the essence of God’s compassion. God is speaking to Israel sunk to its lowest depths in its religious history. They are in exile. Their identity has been shattered through their own doing. They have been humiliated and shamed. In the process they have widowed themselves because they abandoned their ‘Husband-God.’ God’s compassion oozes out towards ‘his wife,’ as God restores Israel to integrity and wholeness: “This is for me like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah should never again deluge the earth; so I have sworn not to be angry with you, or to rebuke you (Isaiah 54: 9).”
While God will always be eager to offer us mercy and forgiveness, on our part we will not be able to receive it without a contrite and repentant heart. Acknowledging one’s sinfulness and asking for God’s forgiveness with the assurance that it will be given, is essential to an authentic relationship with God. Psalm 51 captures this sentiment of repentance very palpably. Nathan the prophet has confronted King David of his twofold sin: of taking Bathsheba unlawfully to be his wife, and having her husband Uriah, killed on the battlefield. David knows that he has sinned grievously against God and his people, especially Uriah. In spite of his grievous sins, he is confident that God will forgive him because he has a repentant heart and is willing to make amends: “Have mercy on me, O God in your goodness; in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense (v.1)… For I acknowledge my offense, and my sin is before me always (v.5)… A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me (v.12)… Give me back the joy of your salvation, and a willing spirit sustain in me (v.14)… My sacrifice, O God is a contrite spirit; a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn (v.19).”
MERCY AT THE HEART OF GOD’S COVENANT WITH US:
Of all God’s attributes, mercy is probably the one most appealing to us. Our merciful God is willing to help us in need simply because we are in need. The divine mercy extends itself to us in a faithful, loving kindness that the Hebrew Scriptures frequently speak of as hesed. In the psalms, especially, God is praised as faithful, loving, kind, and constant in helping the people.
The ground for both understanding and expecting God’s faithful mercy is the covenant which will be the topic of week six. God’s mercy is not a fitful action where God splashes into our lives in a blaze of power and dominance. Rather, divine mercy is an ongoing and constant activity because it is grounded in God’s covenantal relationship with us. Constancy is fundamental to mercy: “Though the mountains leave their place and the hills be shaken, my love shall never leave you nor my covenant of peace be shaken, says the Lord who has mercy on you (Isaiah 54: 10).”
EXPECTING GOD’S MERCY IS THE DISCIPLE’S PRIVILEGE:
The covenant establishes a unique relationship between God and us. While we can never earn mercy, we know that we can expect it because of God’s commitment to us. Like all that pertains to God’s goodness, mercy is both a much sought after gift and a life-giving action. In Matthew 15: 22 we are told that “a Canaanite woman living in that locality presented herself, crying out to him, “Lord, Son of David, have pity on me! My daughter is terribly troubled by a demon.” After testing her and being amazed at her great faith in him, Jesus healed her daughter and offered the family new life and hope. In other instances God is given praise and adoration when people recognize the presence of that mercy. Mary proclaims it in her Magnificat when she says that “His mercy is from age to age on those who fear him (Luke 1:50).” So does Zechariah when he proclaims in his Benedictus that “all this is the work of the kindness of our God; he, the Dayspring, shall visit us in his mercy to shine on those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death to guide our feet into the way of peace (Luke 1:78-79).”
JESUS, THE REVELATION OF GOD’S MERCY:
Most importantly, Jesus is the very embodiment of salvation, the pure gift of God’s mercy which enables us to participate in God’s life. He made it very clear that he had come for sinners. His miracles were signs of God’s mercy. He brought healing and hope to all those who were afflicted and in despair. There is the remarkable story of the man born blind in John 9. It is a moving testimony to Jesus’ power and compassion as well as the man’s developing discipleship. The man is willing to obey Jesus’ command to wash himself. He then acknowledges that it was Jesus who healed him. He witnesses to the Pharisees that Jesus was indeed a prophet; he is expelled from the Synagogue for acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah. Finally, he bows down in adoration of Jesus.
Jesus’ parables are incomparable icons of God’s mercy. They make clear to us that God’s way of thinking and doing is not our way. We all have our favorite parables. In the history of Christianity there is perhaps no more powerful story about God’s mercy and compassion than the parable of the prodigal son. This parable can act as a powerful means of entering into the heart of Jesus’ teaching: Salvation comes only to the sinner who knows and accepts his or her sinfulness and is aware that only God can bring on healing and salvation. Those who believe they are saved on their own merit are not able to hear and assimilate the good news.
But the greatest sign of Jesus’ love and mercy toward us is demonstrated in him being willing to become our scapegoat and take upon himself our sins, dying the ignominious death on the cross so that we might have new life, life in God through Jesus.
WE ARE CALLED TO BE EXPRESSIONS OF GOD’S MERCY:
Relationship with God always implies relationship among people. Mercy is the loving kindness and faithful service we owe each other as members of God’s people. Those who know God are called to be merciful with each other. “Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Pardon, and you shall be pardoned (Luke 6: 36-37).” This is particularly true for the leaders of the people. They are measured by the quality and constancy of their mercy – especially toward those most in need. “Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes on mint and rue and all the garden plants, while neglecting justice and the love of God. These are the things you should practice, without omitting the others (Luke 11: 42).” They are rebuked for their lack of mercy, for the burdens they lay upon the people. The merciful on the other hand belong within the kingdom of God. In Matthew 5:7 Jesus declared the merciful blessed and promised them God’s mercy toward them as they showed mercy toward others.
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HELPFUL ATTITUDES FOR PRAYER:
· Mercy is God’s compassion or willingness to suffer with our pain and ignominy and restore us to an authentic relationship with the Divine once again.
· While God will always be eager to offer us mercy and forgiveness, on our part we will not be able to receive it without a contrite and repentant heart.
· Acknowledging one’s sinfulness and asking for God’s forgiveness with the assurance that it will be given, is essential to an authentic relationship with God.
· Jesus is the very embodiment of salvation, the pure gift of God’s mercy which enables us to participate in God’s life.
· Relationship with God always implies relationship among people. Mercy is the loving kindness and faithful service we owe each other as members of God’s people.
· “Though the mountains leave their place and the hills be shaken, my love shall never leave you nor my covenant of peace be shaken, says the Lord who has mercy on you (Isaiah 54: 10).”
GUIDELINES FOR PRAYER:
- Be faithful to your time of prayer, and make it between 20 and 30 minutes daily.
- Begin every prayer session with an earnest prayer to the Holy Spirit like the one I have composed for you: Come, Holy Spirit, and overshadow me with your gentle wisdom and power as I endeavor to sit at the feet of Jesus during this period of prayer. Purify my mind and heart as I seek to make the teachings of Jesus my priority in life, thinking, speaking and doing as He desires. You are the keeper of my soul, leading me into God’s heart. May I be docile and submissive to your wisdom and guidance. And may my life be a pleasing offering in your sight. Amen.
- Take one of the passages suggested for the week for your prayer. During the week you might want to ponder the question, “When I ask God for forgiveness either in personal prayer or in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, do I believe I am forgiven by God?”
- Lastly, during your prayer make sure that along with reflection you also address God directly and listen for answers that you need.
- You can end your prayer with the following: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I thank you for your gracious companionship. I praise you for being my Creator, Savior and Lord. May I take your blessings to my day, and may your presence envelop and permeate all my thoughts and actions. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
PASSAGES FOR PRAYER:
Psalm 51: The Miserere: Prayer of Repentance
Psalm 130: Prayer for Pardon and Mercy
Isaiah 54: The New Zion
Jeremiah 3: Restoration of Israel and Conditions for Forgiveness
Luke 10: 25-37: The Good Samaritan
Luke 15: Parables of Divine Mercy
John 9: The man born blind
John 10: 1-21: The Good Shepherd
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- It would be important for you to become very familiar with ‘The Imitation of Christ.’ After the Bible, this classic is the most widely read. There are four books comprising 114 chapters in all. If you read a single chapter each day you could read the book three times over during the retreat. Do what suits you best.
- It would be even more important for you to become familiar with the Bible, especially with the New Testament. You can choose to read a few chapters daily, with the goal of completing its reading during the retreat.
- For this year you can attempt six or seven books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Samuel 1 and 2, the Book of Psalms, Isaiah and Jeremiah.
- Try to do all your spiritual reading recommended for the week.
Living in God’s Embrace:
Chapter 3: Smitten by God’s Mercy
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- Journal for a few minutes daily about your experience with God in prayer and during the day.
- Your journal will help you with your sharing in spiritual direction
- Gradually patterns of insights, themes, consolations, and resistance to God’s promptings will emerge.
- Your journal will help you appreciate the Holy Spirit’s action in your being
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