Deacon Tom Writes,
“God’s Mercy At Work”
Today
Abraham is like the little Dutch boy whose valiant effort of placing his finger
in the hole of the dyke averts an impending disaster. Abraham’s actions are
directed at averting a disaster, a spiritual one, trying to hold back God’s
wrath against the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. He knows that the residents of
these towns have racked up a pile of sins, yet he appeals to God not to destroy
these two cities. Abraham cleverly invokes God’s mercy and seeks his
forbearance not to bring destruction upon the inhabitants of these places
should he find 50, no 45, AHHH 40, how about 30, 20 perhaps, OK 10 innocent
people in these towns. Abraham is a gifted negotiator, a skilled plea
bargainer. And God, at least for the time being is compelled to listen to him,
withholding his punishment while Abraham seeks out the innocent. This, to me,
is a wonderful sign of God’s patience with us, his disobedient children, and his
willingness to give us every chance to get things right, even though we fail
time and time again. In today’s first reading we learn that God’s justice is
tempered by his mercy. In teachings about God’s mercy, we learn about our need
to be merciful to each other also.
In
light of the many problems we face in our personal and societal life today, it
is fitting to assess the progress we have made in our efforts to expand the
depth and horizons of our capacity to be merciful. How we engage other people,
what we say to them and how we say it can have a powerful impact on them. You may
have experienced a situation in which a few words of kindness can reshape a
stress-contorted face into a smile. If you have ever stopped and listened to
someone who wasn’t having a good day and, by doing so cheered them up, you know
it doesn’t take much to change someone’s disposition. If we have ever
reconciled with someone who has hurt us or offended us in any way, we know the
healing and peace that flows from God’s mercy. As little as these actions are,
they are important ways of sharing God’s grace and making his mercy visible to
those around us. God indeed has infused us with his mercy so that we may share
his mercy with others. When we act as God’s agents we are instruments of his
mercy just as Father Abraham was intermediating between the people of his day
and God…And God listens, I believe, with our ears.
Pope
Francis in his Easter Urbi et Orbi address
several years ago stressed the point that only mercy can save the world. How
does God’s mercy come into our world except through the lives and hands of
those who love him? St. Teresa of Avila (1515 – 1582) was a living testimony of
this truth. Her prayer is most fitting for us today. She prayed, “Let
nothing disturb your. Let nothing frighten you. All things pass. God does not
change. Patience achieves everything. Whoever has God lacks nothing. God alone
suffices. Christ has no body now on earth but yours; no hands but
yours; no feet but yours; yours are the eyes thorough which
the compassion of Christ must look lout on the world. Yours are the feet
with which he is to go about doing good. Yours are the hands with which
he is to bless his people”.
There
is need for God’s Mercy all around us and no hands or feet to help but
ours.
Enjoy
the day!
Deacon
Tom
Image from http://www.robparkersblog.com
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