God's Mercy

Composed by: Sr. Rose Martina de Porres
 
We are at the end of our Lenten season.  As I started, my plans for Lent did not became fully refined until I attended Ash Wednesday Mass.  The priest gave a homily that really resonated with me.  He said if you don't remember anything else about my homily (I don't), remember this, “Consume more BEER.” Of course everyone, including me, woke up at that point.  He went on to explain that B is for Bible.  We should be consuming God’s word daily in the scriptures.  He stated the first E is for empathy.  The money we are not spending because we are fasting is for the poor.   So we must donate it to the poor or it will be stealing. Then he explained that the second E is for Eucharist.  We should be consuming His Body frequently, attending Mass regularly.  The R is reconciliation.  We need to go to confession at least once a month.  God wants to reconcile us to Himself.  He wants to forgive.  Go to him.  Go to confession.  This helped me get into the right frame of mind.
 
"Unless you are willing to do the ridiculous, God will not do the Miraculous."--Mother Angelica
 
By God-incidence the movie Samson was recently released.  I couldn't remember where exactly the story was in the Bible so I decided to read the entire book of Judges. There I encountered a fallen people that kept turning away from God. Things got too bad and they turned back...but only for a while.  I encountered God’s mercy and desire to save his people.  I met Gods' might working through women to prefigure the crushing of Satan’s head.  I was so intrigued I kept reading through to the books of Judith and Esther.  Each woman fasted, prayed, and covered herself in ashes before embarking on a mission to save her people.  They trusted God even when things seemed stacked against them.  They did the ridiculous and literally walked alone into what seemed was certain death.  That's trust in God.  
 
As the old adage goes, "The more things change, the more they stay the same."  Our society is not much different from Israel.  We can see how much we have turned from God and worship mortals instead of Him.  Every Lent we start with ashes, prayer, and fasting.  Then Easter comes and life "goes back to normal."  Up until recently, I think I viewed the ashes, all of the fasting and prayer as part of Lent, something we do.  But reading Esther and Judith made me realize how integral all of it is in being able to convert, turn back to God, and receive God's mercy.  Easter is the good news that Jesus has risen.  But it does not stop there, life should not “go back to normal.”  We need to continue the walk in celebration even if it means into a hostile world, but we walk trusting in God. 
 
On Good Friday, the Divine Mercy novena begins.  Each day has a specific intention. To me each intention has a familiar face that God is trying to reach through my prayer, fasting, and ashes.  Divine Mercy Sunday is the culmination of the novena.  The abundant graces poured out that day are more than we can ever imagine:  "...But where sin increased, grace abounded all the more" (Romans 5:20).  We must proclaim "Jesus, I Trust in You!" 
 
We can't be afraid to set out into the deep for a catch.  But before we do....consume more BEER. 

Image Source:​Crucifixion by Albrecht Altdorfer, circa 1514–1516, with tiny donor couple among the feet of the main figures