Tag Archive for ‘mercy’
Monday 24 December
2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16; Psalm 88 (89):2-5, 27, 29; Luke 1:67-79 God visiting us The prayer of Spirit-filled Zachariah, known as the Benedictus, begins and ends with God ‘visiting’ the people (1:68, 78). Reference to God visiting can imply judgement, but not here. Dawn and light will come ‘by the tender mercy of […]
Friday 7 December
St. Ambrose Isaiah 29:17-24; Psalm 26 (27):1, 4, 13-14; Matthew 9:27-31 A transforming action Matthew’s cycle of healing stories (Chapters 8-9) climax with the healing of two blind men. Their crying, ‘Have mercy on us,’ is not a call for pity or about a healing only. It is about transforming action which opens up a […]
Thursday 8 November
Philippians 3:3-8; Ps 105; Luke 15:1-10 Boxing We need to be careful that we don’t box God up in our biases. When we can be so easy to judge – we need to ask are we as quick to forgive? God’s mercy breaks through our human biases of how God should act towards sinners. So […]
Friday 21 September
St Matthew Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13; Psalm 19A; Matthew 9:9-13 Rapid response Matthew’s call by Jesus to discipleship reassures us. Jesus calls people from many different walks of life. Matthew, a tax collector, like a number of groups in the society of the time, was marginalised. Jesus reached out to include them in the Kingdom. Jesus […]
Thursday 13 September
St John Chrysostom 1 Corinthians 8:1-7, 11-13; Psalm 139; Luke 6:27-38 Generous mercy Even a great saint would be the first to say that God is a God of surprises and that we can never say that we know all there is to know about God. What our Gospel wants to make sure that we […]
Friday 20 July
Isaiah 38:1-6, 21-22,7-8; Canticle Isaiah 38:10, 11,12a-d, 16; Matthew 12:1-8 Mercy not sacrifice Today we see Jesus showing understanding and compassion for his disciples who are hungry. However the Pharisees could not stop themselves from applying the letter of the law and finding fault. Jesus reminded his followers that they should be motivated by mercy […]
Friday 6 July
Amos 8:4-6, 9-12; Psalm 119A; Matthew 9:9-13 What I want is mercy As we listen to the laments of the prophet Amos that the needy were being swindled and trampled on and that the poor were being bought up for money, we may hear echoes of happenings in our own society. Consequently we may shiver […]
Friday 13 April
Acts 5:34-42; Ps 27; John 6:1-15 Feed the hungry Is this one of the most memorable of the miracles of Jesus? With five loaves and two fish there is enough to feed five thousand plus left-overs. No wonder the crowd wished to make him their king. But as often happens, Jesus withdraws for some quiet […]
Tuesday 20 March
Numbers 21:4-9; Psalm 102:2-3, 16-21; John 8:21-30 He who sent me is with me The rebellious impatience of the people and the blind opposition of the Pharisees confronted Moses and Jesus. In each situation, God offers the balm of mercy. The Lord to Moses: “Make a fiery serpent and put it on a standard. If […]
Thursday 15 March
Exodus 32:7-14; Psalm 106:19-23; John 5:31-47 I have come in the name of my Father While Moses worshipped God on the mountain, the people rebelled and worshipped a calf of molten metal. Having sinned grievously, Moses interceded for them and won them God’s mercy. In the Gospel, Jesus was confronted by the hardened hearts of […]
Entries(RSS)