The central message of this weekend’s Scripture is that God’s mercy for sinners is limitless. Reading about God’s
abundant compassion and forgiveness over and over again is transforming, but experiencing God’s mercy firsthand is life-changing and life-giving. One of the
most straightforward expressions of experiencing the mercy of God is in the lyrics of “Mercy” by Elevation Worship, a contemporary Christian praise and worship group. Here are a few lines from that song:
I’m living proof
Of what the mercy of God can do.
If you knew me then, you’d believe me now;
You turned my whole life upside down.
Took the old and He made it new;
That’s just what the mercy of God can do.
Now I’m alive to tell the story
How I’ve overcome.
It’s His goodness and mercy
And the power of His blood.
I’m so glad that my freedom
Wasn’t based on what I’ve done,
But the goodness and mercy
And the power of the blood,
So much power in the blood…
If you’ve ever received God’s mercy – when you were healed, protected from harm, given a second or third chance, saved from making a bad choice, forgiven – then you have received God’s love, directly or through the merciful heart of someone. As the song suggests, we can’t give up on ourselves because when we are committed to starting over and allow God in, we are heading toward true freedom!
As Catholics, we can routinely receive God’s love and mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation where our sins are forgiven and forgotten by God and we are made new. This gift is freely given, draws us closer to God and one another, teaches us how to be merciful, and gets us ready for that day when we will meet the Lord face to face. Don’t underestimate what you and God can do together to make things better.
Lord, let your mercy be upon us as we place our trust in you!
