Today, in Mercy, on this feast of St. Mark, we listen to Peter instruct the young Church in the way of Christlike leadership. Deep humility, born from a reverence for the mystery of the cross, empowers us to be true witnesses of the faith and to draw others into Christ’s love. As a student of Peter, Mark learned a first-hand account of Christ’s life, steeped in the mystery of life, death and Resurrection. Mark later shared that account with us in the gift of his Gospel.
Today, in Mercy, we accompany Jesus as He walks in the Temple area known as Solomon’s portico. In a very human touch, John tells us, “It was winter.” Thus, we can draw the conclusion that Jesus went inside to be warm. To think of Jesus experiencing the seasons – just as we do – makes him all the more real for us. Like us, Jesus experienced “inner seasons” too – that undulating range from sorrow to joy. When it is “winter” in our souls, and we seek the warmth of prayer, Jesus walks beside us.
Today, in Mercy, Jesus assures us that He is the way to eternal blessing and joy. Surely, at sometime in each of our lives, we have felt trapped behind an obstacle that kept us from our hope or need. These walls may be figurative, like fear, anger or sloth. Or they may be material, like those faced by refugees and immigrants. Jesus promises us that He is with us in all of our isolations, separations, and alienations. He promises that, through Him, there is always an open door to grace, hope, courage, and salvation. What wall do we need God’s help with today – in our personal life and in the world?
Readings: Acts 4:8-12, Psalm 118, 1 John 3:1-2, John 10:11-18
Today, in Mercy, as we celebrate Earth Day, we are blessed with the most beautiful readings! Acts reminds us that it is in the Name of Jesus Christ that post-Resurrection grace fills the world. 1 John tells us that we are God’s children even now, and that we can’t imagine the fullness of life that grants us. In John’s Gospel, Jesus gathers us in his arms as a shepherd tenderly gathers his sheep. It is a day to gratefully bask in the infinite love God has bestowed upon us. Go out quietly with the Earth today, if you can and be blessed, dear friends.
Thursday, April 19, 2018:
Readings: Acts 8:26-40; Ps. 66:8-20; John 6:44-51
Today, in Mercy, we pray with the Ethiopian eunuch (an alliterative and lyrical phrase with its own fascination). Philip finds this man reading Isaiah and asks if he understands the Scripture he is reading. The man replies, “How can I, unless someone show me?”
Indeed, how do we learn to believe without the witness of our many teachers in the faith?
Today, on my 73rd birthday, (in a rare personal departure from my usual pattern of reflections), I count the faithful witnesses in my own life who have shown me the way to God:
my faith-filled parents, whose well-worn devotionals I can still picture, set in silent witness beside their chairs
my devout only-brother who, with his loving wife, are living witnesses to faithful marriage, parenthood, and family
their dear children, grandchildren, and in-law children who faithfully reflect the miraculously recurring love of this family to which they have been born or wed
my extended Catholic family, some who lived centuries before me, who carried the faith to my cradle
the Sisters who taught me in my initial twelve years of Catholic education, each of whose names I can still repeat in grateful prayer
my own dear Sisters of Mercy who share covenanted life with me, in an awesome hymn to the presence of God in our humble yet glorious lives
my many companions in ministry, friendship, hope, service, and labor for these many years
the kind people who have allowed me to serve them so that I might learn the face of God
my precious, loving friends – beyond price, beyond description
Perhaps you, dear readers, may wish to join me in thanksgiving for those who have nourished your lives by the gift of their faithful witness. And whenever your birthday falls, may you be blessed with happiness.
This song is a great way to pray your thanksgiving.
Tuesday, April 17, 2018: Today, in Mercy, we again pray with Stephen, who echoes the forgiving voice of Jesus as he gives up his life. How could Stephen, how could Jesus, forgive their murderers? In their dying, how could they turn their spirits toward God in love and hope? Jesus and Steven had already given their lives completely to God – throughout all their joyful and sorrowful seasons. When the time came for the leaves to finally fall, their spirits were convinced that God’s life in them would abide.
We face many small deaths in our lives before our final hour. As we learn to let the leaves fall into God’s renewing love and Mercy, we grow more like Jesus. We are filled with the power of God’s freedom and Light. ( The song is not my favorite genre, but it is very powerful, I think.)
Sunday, April 15, 2018: Today In Mercy, Jesus opens the minds and hearts of his followers to understand that He is the fulfillment of the Scriptures. Faith is like the evolution of a beautiful flower. The miracle does not happen all at once. There is a patient, silent process which finally yields the blossom. In these stories of the Resurrection appearances, the early Christians are showing us how they matured through trust, prayer and a shared community of faith. It is a model for us and the whole Church. Many of us will attend services this weekend. Is there a mutual nourishment between us and our faith community? If not, how can I help change that?
Saturday, April 14, 2018: Today, in Mercy, Jesus walks across the stormy water to meet his frightened disciples. They are afraid of the wind, the night and the wonder of Jesus. As human beings, we harbor many fears even if we pretend to be very brave. We may be afraid of failure, loneliness, responsibility, insignificance, aging, dying or a thousand other things. Essentially, what we most fear is that we might be unloved or unlovable. Jesus comes to us through the night of any fear to prove that we are irrevocably loved. Even in darkness, we are the precious breath and heartbeat of God!
“Who would I be, and what power would be expressed in my life, if I were not dominated by fear.” ~Paula D’Arcy~
Friday, April 13, 2018: Today, in Mercy, Jesus multiplies the loaves and fishes. This is the only miracle, other than the Resurrection, that is recorded in all four Gospels.
Jesus teaches us, in the story of the loaves and fishes, that the ordinary bread of our lives is the stuff of miracles. What makes the difference between Stroehmann’s and the Supernatural is FAITH! When we really believe we are marked for eternal life, our whole perspective changes. It takes courage to believe, but if we can, multitudes will be nourished by our faith! You know what I’m saying. Hasn’t the faith of your ancestors nourished you and all the generations in between? Hasn’t the witness of the saints, both canonized and known only to us, anchored our souls through many a storm? Be holy bread for your world, dear friends! ( Lovely song from Joe Wise for your prayer.)
Thursday, April 12, 2016: Today, in Mercy, we hear an amazing promise in John’s Gospel. We who believe have already been given the gift of eternal life.
At the same time, the words are scary. Is my faith strong enough? What about when I doubt or question God? Faith is not about surety. It is about the choice to trust and live in a way that gives witness to that trust. Do not fear your doubts and questions. God is big enough for all of them. Give them to God and as the poet Rilke says:
“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves like locked rooms and like books that are written in a very foreign tongue.”
Lavish Mercy 