March 3/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 these days. Through social media rants and less public expressions of resentment, we are incited to hold grudges and, where possible, even the score with those who have hurt us. Vindictiveness is all the rage. God proposes another way to deal with those who offend us: the way of radical mercy. Citing Jesus’s loving forgiveness of those who put him on the cross, Pope Francis wrote: “Every page of the Gospel is marked by this imperative of a love that loves to the point of forgiveness.” Such an imperative of love guided the Rwandan woman Immaculée Ilibagiza when she met with — and forgave — the Hutu man who had murdered her entire family. Such an imperative of love inspired the gesture of some of the Emmanuel victims’ family members, when they encountered — and forgave — the young white supremacist who had gunned down their relatives. We learn their stories and we think to ourselves, “Never could I do that. I can’t even forgive my spouse for leaving dirty dishes in the sink.” But as these remarkable witnesses teach us, we are called to forgive, extravagantly and comprehensively. The psalmist describes this with the rhetorical device known as “merism,” which uses diametrically opposite terms (think “A to Z”) to convey the idea of totality. God’s loving forgiveness of us extends as high as the highest height and spans as wide as the widest width. If God can offer us such vast mercy, so much more are we called to offer those who have hurt us a wideness of 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: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/030318.cfm
