Saturday of the 2nd week in Lent

March 14, 2009 Saturday of the 2nd Week of Lent

Readings: Micah 7: 14-15, 18-20 Psalm103 Luke 15: 1-3, 11-32
Psalm Response: The Lord is kind and merciful!

The prophet Micah gives us an opportunity to experience God, not in a physical way, which wanes with distraction, but with the spiritual love of God, filling our souls as only God can.
Who, among us, could envision, centuries removed, the hand of God in every event written about by our ancestors.
When we obey our religious leaders, we aren’t benign sheep, baying at the feeding given us by our shepherds; but, rather as knowing creatures of our God and recognizing His hand in all we do out of love for Him.
Our contemporary society, as advanced as it has become, with education and learning unavailable in the time of our ancestors, still behaving as animals when it renders decisions against those we believe deserve ill treatment, we may wonder if we apply our learning or do we react with a vengeful heart?
Even so, He regards us as His children, often excusing and pardoning our unthinking ways and inviting us to the repentance needed to enable us to be as forgiving as He.

Our psalmist relates the incongruity of God’s dealing with us as He does. When we regard the unforgiving hearts of those around us, do we truly realize the Love of God could be so intense as to forgive and forget? The Lord is kind and merciful!

When we read again this parable of the wasteful son, we are apt to place undue blame on him when it seems as likely his father doesn’t react as we might given the same circumstances.
Squandering his share of the inheritance, wouldn’t necessarily endear an heir to his benefactor.
Some even side with the remaining son who remained faithful while realizing the balance of his father’s estate was his. This wastrel spends his portion on desolate living and is then welcomed by his equally wasteful dad. Who could side with the first son?

The message is clearer to us than it was with His listeners. God’s mercy is unfathomable.
The depth of His love for His sinful brothers and sisters is the same as the father’s love for his wayward son. We can’t even profess our sorrow as long as we are ardent in our resolve to repent in our hearts.

It helps to think of God as the ever waiting redeemer expecting us with open arms and straining at every moment to see if we’re coming to our senses.