Monday Morning Meditation #60: So Great Is God's Mercy toward Us

I stumbled through nearly another 40 psalms this week. I don't know what I was looking for exactly, or if I was looking for anything. I usually just read until something jumps out at me, something that I can relate to and something that I can understand at a visceral level. Being chronically happy (whether or not I have real reason to be so), I have trouble relating to songs of lament or pleas to make one's life better. I guess I am just used to taking what comes my way and finding the challenge to make it all better intriguing. Finally, though, I landed on the page with Psalm 103, a song of praise and hope. Now that's to my liking!

The psalm begins with the words:

Bless the LORD, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!

The psalm goes on to tell us how deeply merciful God is toward us, how he forgives us over and over again, how he is slow to anger, and he never punishes us as much as we deserve for our sins.

Then the psalm ends with nearly the same words with which it begins:

Bless the LORD, you His angels,
Who excel in strength, who do His word,
Heeding the voice of His word.
Bless the LORD, all you His hosts,
You ministers of His, who do His pleasure.
Bless the LORD, all His works,
In all places of His dominion.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!

Reading: Psalm 103

Meditation: I don't know about you, but the lines about God not punishing us as much as we deserve hit home for me. Thank God that God's mercy is so deep and strong and all-encompassing. There are at least four kinds of "trouble" I find myself, trouble that could call forth anger from an unkind God or frustration from an impatient God, but God is neither unkind nor impatient. God is merciful and patient beyond anything that we can imagine.

First, there are the times that I end up deliberately doing something I know will sorrow God. Usually, it is because I am tired and lazy, but there are also those times that I want my anger (or other emotion of the moment) and hang onto it when I should let it go away, especially when I can feel God trying to brush it from my life. Okay, that's definitely not a cool way to relate to God, and for God's forgiveness in such cases, I am grateful.

Second, there are the ethical and moral dilemmas that crop up from time to time. Often, they appear from the requirements of my job as a supervisor. How does one fire someone in a kindly fashion? Yet, if one keeps an employee who is not a team player or who is so incompetent in his or her professional field that others must constantly step in to pick up the slack or who is simply lazy and lets others do his or her work, then it is not fair to everyone else who makes an honest effort. And that is one of the easier moral dilemmas I deal with! Thank God for priests who are willing to think matters through with me from a moral and servant leadership point of view.

Third, there are the taskings that I occasionally get and don't know how to respond to. Sometimes I don't want to do them. Sometimes I don't know how to do them. Sometimes I don't feel qualified to do them. Nearly always I am concerned about their authenticity -- how do I know that they are for real? (That's when I go running to a priest for help.) So, given all those concerns, I nearly always also hesitate before displaying one iota of obedience. God forgives -- and expects the tasking to be completed (always, thankfully, with divine help).

Fourth, there are just the accidental slip-ups. These are the "naughty" things that happen just because we are all human. At least, I know I have a lot of company in these cases. I think not only God has to forgive us for our slip-ups, but we also have to stand ready to forgive ourselves so that we can accept God's forgiveness and know that it is meaningful.

Contemplation: That is far as I can go with you this Monday morning. I now retire to private prayer, repenting for the many times that I have relied upon God's mercy rather than doing as I ought to have done, thank Him for the expansiveness of His mercy, and beg Him to continue to show me His mercy for I shall continue to need it. Oh, and yes, as the psalm says, I will praise and bless His holy name. Then I will move on to contemplation, my favorite part of the day, letting God take over the direction in which my relationship with Him moves.

I will leave you now to your prayer and contemplation. First, though, I would like to bring to your attention a Monday morning prayer post that you might enjoy:

Fr. Austin Fleming, priest of the Archdiocese of Boston and pastor in Concord, Massachusetts, posts a prayer each Monday morning that he calls "Monday Morning Offering." I enjoy his prayers very much. I hope you also will find them inspirational. He has graciously given me permission to include a link to his blog on my Monday Morning Meditation posts. (During the week, he also posts great homilies and other thoughtful discussions. I enjoy reading those, too.)


For additional inspiration throughout the week, I would point out two sets of blogs: (1) the list of devotional blogs on my sidebar and (2) my blogroll, where I am following a number of inspirational priests and writers about spiritual matters. I learn so very much from all these people. I highly recommend them to you.

Monday Morning Meditation #59: Make a Joyful Noise unto the Lord

"Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye earth!" Now, there is a well-known phrase! It begins a well-known psalm. While many of the psalms are psalms of praise, often combined with entreaty and repentance, this is one that resounds with uncompromised, untainted praise. It is definitely one of my favorite psalms. Perhaps it especially caught my attention because I attended an SFO (Secular Franciscan) meeting this afternoon, and those meetings have at least moments of joy and praise. This one was no different. (The greatest moment of joy was the installation of our new spiritual advisor: a spiritually strong nun of whom I am quite fond -- but that is an aside.)

Reading: Psalm 66

Meditation: The theme is one I have discussed before: praise as an important part of our communication with God. It seems that it is easier to beg for something, complain about something, or even to express repentance, than it is to tell God that we are in awe of the power, glory, compassion, and love that God shows to us at every turn. I suspect it is not because we do not notice this -- although in some cases and at some times that might be true -- but somehow it does not seem necessary or important to tell God what God already knows. Or, perhaps we think that God knows how we feel so there is no need to say anything.

That kind of thinking reminds me of the line in Love Story (remember the Ali McGrawn-Ryan O'Neal tear jerked?): "Love means never having to say you're sorry."

I think the film got it wrong. In reality, IMHO, love means always wanting to say you're sorry.

In the same way, also IMHO, I think that a healthy relationship with God means always wanting to say "how great Thou art!" how can one ever want to keep quiet in the presence of such glory? Just thinking about it makes me want to throw myself before God and remain there forever and ever. Unfortunately, however, my mundane (well, not always quite so mundane) life soon intrudes: I must go to work.

Contemplation: That is far as I can go with you this Monday morning. I now retire to private prayer, repenting for times that I have restrained my lips when I should have made a joyful noise until the Lord. I will praise God for all that he has given me to share, thank him for the opportunities to experience the kind of glory which calls forth spontaneous praise, and ask God to nudge me when I have been slow to praise. Then I will move on to contemplation, my favorite part of the day, letting God take over the direction in which my relationship with Him moves.

I will leave you now to your prayer and contemplation. First, though, I would like to bring to your attention a Monday morning prayer post that you might enjoy:

Fr. Austin Fleming, priest of the Archdiocese of Boston and pastor in Concord, Massachusetts, posts a prayer each Monday morning that he calls "Monday Morning Offering." I enjoy his prayers very much. I hope you also will find them inspirational. He has graciously given me permission to include a link to his blog on my Monday Morning Meditation posts. (During the week, he also posts great homilies and other thoughtful discussions. I enjoy reading those, too.)


For additional inspiration throughout the week, I would point out two sets of blogs: (1) the list of devotional blogs on my sidebar and (2) my blogroll, where I am following a number of inspirational priests and writers about spiritual matters. I learn so very much from all these people. I highly recommend them to you.