Fourth Sunday of Lent
Dear Friends,
In Psalm 23 notice the action of God the Father, likened to how the shepherd is described in this week's psalm. The shepherd does everything - he makes me lie down and leads me to still waters. The shepherd heals - comforts and is always with me. The shepherd welcomes - sets a table before me and anoints my head with oil, which symbolizes our own Baptisms. Finally, the psalm concludes with a proclamation of the Father's goodness and mercy, remaining close to me all my days.
How well do you know the shepherd?
The rest of this Sunday's readings have a theme of darkness to light, blindness to sight. As a member of God's flock, do you find yourself wandering in darkness or without purpose? How well do you know the Father - the one who is goodness and mercy. Just like Jesus restoring sight to the blind man, when we come to know and receive God's mercy we start to live in a different light.
During this season of Lent, we must not undermine the reality of God's mercy in our lives. Many saints like Thomas Aquinas, Augustine, and John Paul II proclaimed that mercy is God's greatest attribute. Divine Mercy is God's love reaching down to meet our needs and pull us up out of our darkness. It is the thing that breaks through even when our inclination is to stay in sin. St. Faustina's words describing the effects of mercy are powerful,
"All grace flows from mercy ... even if a person's sins were as dark as night, God's mercy is stronger than our misery. One thing alone is necessary: that the sinner set ajar the door of his heart, be it ever so little, to let in a ray of God's merciful grace, and then God will do the rest."
When we let go of our tendency to fix ourselves or stay in the darkness and let God heal us with His mercy, we can be sure to taste eternal life that Jesus promises. As we continue this journey of 'letting go and letting God', I invite you to two challenges:
Reflect on God the Father as your shepherd in Psalm 23 and His attributes.
Schedule a time to go to confession and receive the ocean of grace before Easter.
Anthony Quinn, CLM Missionary