To the Ends of the Earth: Action – Week 5, Day 1 - No Matter How Well Things Are Going, We Can Stumble at Any Moment
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The LORD is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in mercy.
He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger for ever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
Psalm 103:8–10
Nearly every man has held, is holding, or will hold a grudge against another person at some point in his life. It is part of our fallen nature to want revenge for the wrongs done to us. God, however, is not like us and does not remain angry with his people. If he did, who could stand before him? He is a compassionate Father who is slow to anger, full of mercy, and perfectly loving. He remembers that we are fragile beings, formed out of the dust, a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes (cf. Jas 4:14). Yet God chooses not to remember our sins; and when we repent, he hurls them as far from us as the east is from the west (cf. Ps 103:12).
God’s incredible patience is intimately tied to his mercy. His is an eternal love, a timeless compassion that he pours out on us through his Son. As members of his Mystical Body, we have a deep and personal relationship with God that will never fade or overwhelm our brittle human nature. He stands at the door of our hearts, knocking and waiting with infinite patience for us to invite him in so he can change our lives and set us free to love and serve him and others (cf. Rv 3:20).
Questions for Reflection
Where have you experienced the perfect and infinite mercy of God in your life?
How do you see God’s patient love displayed through the Church and the sacraments?
How can you take that perfect, merciful love and share it with someone else today?
Praying with Scripture
The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in mercy. (Ps 145:8)
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Mark C. McCann is an author and Ministry Consultant with more than 30 years of writing and ministry experience. He has published articles for a number of Catholic magazines and websites including St. Anthony Messenger, Emmanuel Magazine, Liguorian Magazine, Catholic Stand, the Connecticut Catholic Men's Conference, and Homiletic and Pastoral Review. He recently published the 4-volume Catholic men's devotional, To the Ends of the Earth, as well as the 2021 Advent Daybreaks devotional and 2022 Lenten Daybreaks devotional with Liguori Publishing. He has also released his End Times novel series, Jacob's Dream: The Vision and Jacob's Dream: The Final Battle. He was a radio host and producer for 8 years at a Connecticut Christian radio station and has worked as a Catholic religion teacher/campus minister and a parish youth minister. He has also served the Norwich, CT Diocese as a Youth Ministry Director and Family Life Director. He currently lives in Connecticut with his Proverbs 31 wife, where together they have brought up three incredible children. He strives each day to live out his call to be a man of words. You can learn more about Mark and his writing at www.wordsnvisions.com.
