March 22/Second Saturday of Lent
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west, so far has he put our transgressions from us. ~ Ps 103.11-12
Forgiveness is out of fashion, seen in many quarters as a sign of weakness. Witness the lightning quick judgments of social media; regard the savage recrimination heaped on a public figure who errs or strays; consider the online mob justice that springs from misapprehension. We are zealous, most of us, in requiting others according to their (perceived) offenses: vengeance, not mercy. Even in our relationships with family and friends, forgiveness can be hard to come by. Resentment over a family member’s behavior, bitterness at a slight from a friend or colleague, these linger in our hearts. And we hold them there, tightly gripping our anger at others while telling ourselves that we are merely “holding people accountable.” God shows us another way to deal with those who offend us: the way of forgiveness. This is not to be a grudging, muttered “never mind.” No, we are to forgive extravagantly and exuberantly – much like the father of the prodigal son in today’s Gospel parable. The psalmist today lays this out clearly using a rhetorical device known as “merism,” which uses diametrically opposite terms to convey the idea of totality – like “A to Z.” God’s loving forgiveness, we learn, extends as high as the highest height and spans as wide as the widest width. French priest and spiritual director Father Jacques Philippe writes, “When we refuse to forgive someone for harm done to us . . . we are increasing the quantity of evil in the world, which has quite enough as it is. Let us not join in the propagation of evil.” Striving to grasp the boundless dimensions of God’s forgiveness, filled with the fullness of that love, this is what we are called to emulate: an embracing mercy that extends – to use another “merism” – from sea to shining sea.
O God of steadfast mercy, Give me the spiritual fortitude and grace to wrap my arms of forgiveness around those who have hurt or offended me. Amen.
For today’s readings, click here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032225.cfm
To hear the Belfast Cathedral Choir sing “There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy,” click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnRkCJuIhuY
