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March 14, 2022Lent is a period of intimately uniting ourselves to Christ, of embracing what He underwent to better understand–not only His glory–but His love for us. This love is expressed in His merciful acts, and those merciful acts culminate with His forgiveness toward our tawdry transgressions. In the first reading of today, the prophet Daniel’s contrite heart acknowledges–not only the awesome might of God, that is, His mercy–but his sins as well. We join Daniel’s chorus by exclaiming: “Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.” Like Daniel, we acknowledge Him as Lord, and recognize our sins–all the while we petition for His love, mercy, and forgiveness to wash over our souls. Thus, we come to a gradual understanding that His words are Spirit and Life. More specifically, of everlasting life.
The power of His words become manifest, and reach their climax, when the Son of God tells His disciples to be merciful just as the Father is merciful, to not pass judgment, to not condemn, to forgive, and to give to others in good measure. Jesus layers both the words of the prophet Daniel and the virtues God the Father is known for by taking on our humanity. Hence, when our exhausted hearts petition for His mercy as Daniel did, we feel closer to Him than Daniel ever did simply because He took on our humanity. Moreover, we come to recognize that His love, mercy, and forgiveness are given to us in overflowing measure simply because, again, He loved us so much that He came down from Heaven so as to let our weary heads rest on His tired shoulders.
And we talk to Him about our pains and wants, our needs and sins. At times, we find ourselves weeping. How reassuring it is, then, to constantly find His merciful arms wrapped around us, as He gently whispers His forgiveness to us based on the love we have come to know since we were babes.
