MIRRORING COMPASSION
At first, after reading the first reading and the responsorial psalm today, I found myself thinking – “have faith! Why so much begging for God’s mercy?” So much so that I began to wonder if the writer was attempting at a deeper level to convince themself (and therefore us) that God will have mercy on them/us. That indeed, He will deliver us from hardship, will forgive us, will love us. In the parable in today’s Gospel, Jesus confirms this. The master was moved with compassion and forgave the debts owed to him. Just as God also promises to forgive us if we, as stated in the first reading, follow God unreservedly. But as is so often the case, for me at least, the first reading and the question about forgiveness in the Gospel is self-focused. Will “I” be saved? How much do “I” have to forgive? During the last year, I’ve found myself making choices so that I can try to stay as healthy as I can, given the conditions. This is and has been so important, but I know that sometimes I can let it get out of control. Sometimes I forget to extend my hand to those around me.
Similarly, for me, Lent has always been a time about creating more space and time for my relationship with God. To become reacquainted with Him or to go deeper than I have before. But today’s Gospel was a needed reminder that this time doesn’t only have to be about me and God. It reminded me that His relationship with me is meant to be mirrored in the other relationships in my life. I’m a bit unsure of what that means in a practical way, but I’m sensing that it has to do with that key phrase in the Gospel “moved with compassion the master…”. It challenges me to ask, in what ways I am compassionate to those around me? Am I journeying into the desert with them? Am I listening to them, encouraging them, loving them near and from afar? Am I challenging myself to do the hard work to learn and understand the other? I’ll admit, I’ve become a bit overwhelmed if I think about working on my relationship with God and all of the relationships around me. Perhaps just as overwhelmed as thinking about forgiving someone seventy-seven times! I guess if I start with forgiving once, listening once, reaching out once, I’ll be on the right track.
Do you trust that God will keep His promise and be merciful? How is God’s compassion for you mirrored in other areas of your life?
Joan Ervin