Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, full of mercy and grace, thank you
that you are our merciful and faithful high priest (Hebrews 2:17). Thank you that you do not treat us as our
sins deserve, but pour out your divine mercy upon us instead. Therefore, may we always do the same. May we be merciful as you are merciful,
because when we are being merciful, we are being like you. Amen.
Scripture: Matthew 5:7
Journal: How aware are you of your need for mercy? What impact does that have on your
ability to be merciful? What does it
look like to be merciful? Is that a word
you would use to describe your life and relationships? If not merciful, what word would you use to
describe the general attitude of your heart in relation to others?
Reflection:
O
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
I am impressed by my own spiritual
insights. I probably know more about prayer, meditation and contemplation than
most Christians do. I have ready many books about the Christian life, and have
even written a few myself. Still, as impressed as I am, I am more impressed by
the enormous abyss between my insights and my life.
It seems as if I am standing on one side
of a huge canyon and see how I should grow toward you, live in your presence
and serve you, but cannot reach the other side … where you are. I can speak and
write, preach and argue about the beauty and goodness of the life I see on the
other side, but how, O Lord, can I get there? Sometimes I even have the painful
feeling that the clearer the vision, the more aware I am of the depth of the
canyon.
Am I doomed to die on the wrong side of
the abyss? Am I destined to excite others to reach the promised land while
remaining unable to enter there myself? Sometimes I feel imprisoned by my own
insights and “spiritual competence.” You alone, Lord, can reach out to me and
save me. You alone.
I can only keep trying to be faithful,
even though I feel faithless most of the time. What else can I do but keep
praying to you, even when I feel dark; to keep writing about you, even when I
feel numb; to keep speaking in your name, even when I feel alone. Come, Lord
Jesus, come. Have mercy on me, a sinner. Amen. (A Cry for Mercy by Henri
Nouwen)
Prayer
Closing Prayer: Blessed be the Lord! For he has heard the voice of my pleas for
mercy. The Lord is my strength and my
shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with
my song I give thanks to him. The Lord
is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed. Oh, save your people and bless your heritage! Be their shepherd and carry them forever.
~Psalm 28:6-9
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