Dear SCC & Friends,
Have mercy on me. ~Psalm 51:1
Reflection #262
Keep your eyes on your mercies. The man who forgets to be thankful has fallen asleep in life. ~R.L. Stevenson~ I grew up with two brothers, and we were often referred to as “the three bears.” We were “good kids” but did get into our fair share of mischief and trouble. A favorite pastime was tag-team wrestling matches…whereby my little brother and myself would take on our much bigger big brother. If things got too intense, we had a “get out of jail card” by shouting out “Mercy!!” That would temporarily bring everything to a halt, until we resumed the rough housing. It was love and mercy that kept us from hurting one another. In retrospect our antics seemed comical, yet mercy and kindness somehow filtered into the core of our shared relationship. The Lord helped us to be there for each other throughout our entire lives… They are both in heaven… My younger brother’s headstone says it all… And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God? ~Micah 6:8
Mercy is at the heart of God and can never be earned. It is simply to be received. God’s mercies are not always visible, but they are nonetheless always present. His mercy is not an entitlement or something we earn, but is freely given from the One who has it all… The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning… ~Lam. 3:22-23 God in His abundant mercy withholds the judgment we do deserve, and in His amazing grace renders favor and blessing we do not deserve… including and most importantly our eternal salvation… God leads us into eternal life, not by our merits but according to His mercy. ~St. Augustine~ A common prayer of mine… “Have mercy on me.” …A common confession… Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. ~Ps. 23:6 Keep up the good work!
Kyrie eleison,
Kevin