Today, in Mercy, Jesus stretches out his arms to all the suffering, troubled, lonely, upset people of the world. He opens his arms to us when we are feeling exhausted, confused or lost.
“Come to Me”, Jesus says. I am waiting for you. I see your burdens and distress. It doesn’t even matter if you are the cause of your own problems. I love you and I will comfort you.
Today, let’s just give ourselves, without reservation, into his loving invitation.
Today, in Mercy, our readings bring us Hosea, the poet-prophet who lived eight centuries before Jesus.Although his warnings to Israel are stern, Hosea was, at heart, a lover – just as he imagined God to be.
Hosea tells us his personal story of marrying an adulterous wife, forgiving her, and welcoming her back to his love. He uses his own experience to challenge Israel, the “adulterous”, idolatrous beloved of God.
Hosea’s passionate poetry gives us the language and imagery of intense intimacy with God, a God who “allures”, “espouses”, and calls himself “husband”. It is the language of an unbreakable devotion and covenant.
This imagery can enrich our prayer and help us to deepen our realization of how much God loves us. God loves us as a parent would, as a friend would, as a lover would, as a spouse would. Still, God loves us beyond all these, beyond our human comprehension.
Any human love will always remain between two distinct beings. But Divine Love created us and lives within us. We are the very Breath of God Who, in loving us, loves the Divine Self into being.
In our prayer today, what a joy to surrender ourselves to this Amazing Love!
Today, in Mercy, Jesus tells us how to pray and do good. He says that it is our deep-hearted intention that matters in these things. It is there, in the hidden heart, that God dwells with us and reads our love for its sincerity.
God is not impressed with any bling in our words or actions. Not impressed with the big, loud, or wow of what we do. God knows whether we truly love, and it is that which touches Him.
Let the words of Jesus today take you to that inner heart-room where God knows and loves you like no one else can. In that precious quiet, enter the silence of prayer. Listen to God with the soul’s ear that needs no sound. Speak to God with the humble love that needs no words.
Music: Yo Yo Ma playing Meditation from Thaïs by Jules Massenet
Today, in Mercy, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.We are blessed with several powerful and profound readings, including the final moments on Calvary.
The second reading offers an example of Paul’s magnificent benedictions and doxologies. As he prays for the Ephesians, so he prays for us. These prayers are exalted, yet simple. They thrill the soul who prays them. They place us, in awe and thanksgiving, fully in the divinely generous, Sweet Heart of Christ.
Let yourself be there, allowing God to love and bless you, as you pray these words:
For this reason I kneel before the Father,
from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,
that he may grant you in accord with the riches of his glory
to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self,
and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;
that you, rooted and grounded in love,
may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones
what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
and to know the love of Christ which surpasses all knowledge,
so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Music: Two offerings today. The first captures Ephesians Prayer. The second harkens back to my childhood — and maybe to yours. (I couldn’t resist the lovely nostalgia!)
Today, in Mercy, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, one of the most profound mysteries of our faith. The first reading shows us that human beings have been trying to understand this mystery ever since the time of Moses! The readings from both Romans and Matthew describe the power of God’s triune love in those who believe. But none of the readings really explain the Holy Trinity.
And that’s the whole point. “Mystery” cannot be explained.. We fumble around with human words in an attempt to capture a reality beyond words, beyond analysis – but not beyond faith. Mystery can only be encountered in humble and undemanding faith.
Today, as Christians, we profess our belief in a God Who is incomprehensible Infinite Love creating, redeeming and sanctifying all Creation. This Infinite Love is so pure and complete that, within its Unity, it both embraces and frees the three Persons of the Trinity.
Pope Francis has said, “The Christian community, though with all its human limitations, can become a reflection of the communion of the Trinity, of its goodness and beauty.”Our prayer today is to grow in our capacity to love in imitation of the Trinity. May we, as individuals and as a Church, increase in that merciful inclusivity and wholeness which reflects the triune love of God, at once embracing and freeing all that we love.
Music: Grace ~ Michael Hoppè – May this reflective piece offer us the space to enter into God’s Presence.
Today, in Mercy, in our first reading, James tells us to pray. In the Gospel, Jesus gives us a wonderful clue about how to pray – with the innocence and openness of a child. Throughout our lives, as we deepen in our spiritual life, prayer becomes simpler. More often it is silence rather than words; presence rather than petition; quiet trust rather than expectation.
As with all relationships, the more comfortable we are with our companion, the fewer words are necessary. It is enough to sit quietly with someone we love to savor each other’s presence. So it is with prayer.It is in this sense that St. Paul tells us to “pray always”. We are always in the loving presence of God Who delights in us and wills our good.
It is in this sense, as well, that our prayers are always answered. Our prayers are not requests or demands. They are the opening of our experience to the Presence of God so that God pervades our life with grace and holy understanding.
Because wordless music is a good analogy for prayer, please enjoy this rich orchestral rendition of Bach’s Arioso from Cantata 156, conducted by Leopold Stokowski, renowned conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra in the early and mid-1900s.
Today, in Mercy, we celebrate the great Feast of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit comes to us to remain with us forever. May we open our hearts and souls to this infinite power of God within us!
The Pentecost Sequence is so beautiful. You might like to find the phrase within the Sequence that most touches your heart and soul at this particular time in your life. Let that phrase bless you with the Holy Spirit’s Love.
May this be our prayer for today and the days to come: Come, O Holy Spirit, come! From Your bright and blissful Home Rays of healing light impart.
Come, Father of the poor, Source of gifts that will endure Light of ev’ry human heart.
You of all consolers best, Of the soul most kindly Guest, Quick’ning courage do bestow.
In hard labor You are rest, In the heat You refresh best, And solace give in our woe.
O most blessed Light divine, Let Your radiance in us shine, And our inmost being fill.
Nothing good by man is thought, Nothing right by him is wrought, When he spurns Your gracious Will.
Cleanse our souls from sinful stain, Lave our dryness with Your rain, Heal our wounds and mend our way.
Bend the stubborn heart and will, Melt the frozen, warm the chill, Guide the steps that go astray.
On the faithful who in You, Trust with childlike piety, Deign Your sevenfold gift to send.
Give them virtue’s rich increase, Saving grace to die in peace, Give them joys that never end.
Amen. Alleluia.
Music: The Pentecost Sequence in beautiful Gregorian Chant
Today, in Mercy, Jesus extracts a pledge from Peter with the question, “Do you love me?” This is a brave question on Jesus’ part. What if Peter’s answer is half-hearted?But the full-spirited Peter does not disappoint. “Of course, I love You,” he avows. But then, Jesus ups the ante with some “prove it” clauses: “Feed my lambs and my sheep.”
This passage always reminds me of a wonderful scene from Fiddler on the Roof.
What about us? Do we really love Jesus? Pope Gregory the Great says this:
The proof of love is in the works.
Where love exists, it works great things.
But when it ceases to act, it ceases to exist.
Today, in Mercy, in John 17, we are folded into the prayer of Jesus as He talks to the Father about us. We are the humble, silent listeners to a Divine Conversation. Jesus prays that we may be part of His unity with the Father. He calls us His gifts and asks to keep us with Him in eternal life. He asks to live within us through the gift of the Father’s love. These are awesome prayers that may be too much for us to comprehend.
But picture this: a loving parent embracing a frightened or injured child. The parent looks up to heaven, asking God to keep this child safe; to never let them be lost; to fill them with love, joy and life. The praying parent promises to always protect and guide their cherished child like a precious gift and to hold them securely in times of trouble.
This is the way Jesus prays for us. Awesome, indeed!
Music: He Will Hold Me Fast ~ Keith and Kristyn Getty
Today, in Mercy, our readings from John’s epistle and Gospel are replete with love – the Holy Love of God for us, and God’s hope for that love to be reflected in us. How fitting these readings are for Mother’s Day, when we honor the one who was a first source of love for us. A loving mother is our first glimpse into the face of God. Throughout our lives, she protects and prays for us, just as Jesus does for his disciples in today’s Gospel. Through her sacrificial love, she is our first teacher of what it means to live like Christ.
Let us pray today for all mothers, especially our own. Each one, no doubt, did the best she could to offer us life. For some, that was harder than for others – and some of us struggle with that reality throughout our lives. For others, our mother’s love has always been the unequivocal source of our strength and joy.
Today is a day to recognize that every mother has held the hope of loving us into the fullness of life. Let us bless our mother for that hope and for every bit of love she has given us.
Lavish Mercy 