Tuesday of the Sixteenth Week of Ordinary Time
In the Prologue of his Rule, St. Benedict wrote that God gives His children time to turn away from their sins. St. Benedict quotes the Gospel of John, saying, “run while you have the light of life.” He adds the word “run” when the Gospel of John used the word walk. Why? St. Benedict had a sense of urgency in his teaching. St. Benedict didn’t want his monks to live a life of complacency or apathy. God grants mercy to us in place of wrath. Why would we wait in receiving it? St. Benedict urges us to go quickly to receive God’s mercy and leave behind our sins.
The prophet Micah affirmed God’s mercy. He writes, “who is there like you, (o God), who removes guilt and pardons sins… You will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins” (Mi 7:18-19). How great God is! He doesn’t just forgive our sins. He frees us from them. We are not meant to be afraid of an unforgiving God. We are called to embrace Christ who longs for us to know His Father, a truly merciful God.
Jesus goes so far as to say that His mother and brother are those “who do the will” of His Heavenly Father. He didn’t disown His actual family. He shows that His family extends to all those who seek God’s will. They will be His family by adoption through the mercy of God. St. Benedict ended his chapter on the Tools of Good Works encouraging his followers to “never lose hope in the mercy of God.” Let us run to receive the mercy of God!
Reflection: Do you live your life with zeal and urgency? Do you believe things in your life can change for the better, or are you afraid to seek the change you need? Take these questions to God in prayer, asking for the grace to “run” into the merciful hands of our loving Father.
Reflection by Br. Matthew Marie, OSB
Posted in Articles for Lent, Daily Reflections, Lenten Resources