THOUGHT FOR THE DAY. MERCY AND FAITHFULNESS MEET.

July 21. SEE. Teresa shared, “The words faithfulness and mercy often seem to come together in the bible. To me they aren’t the same but are related. To be faithful – as we discovered in 49 years of marriage – you do need to practise mercy, quite often. Forgive before being asked, forgive even if you don’t want to. And one does those things because of love, a love that is strong and can endure.” They sat quietly for a while and eventually he shared, “ Yet, we also do know and understand that maybe the loving thing sometimes is for a couple to separate if things just don’t work.”

JUDGE. Reflect and share. Scripture. Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passion over transgressions? He does not retain his anger forever because he delights in mercy. You will show faithfulness to Jacob and mercy to Abraham from the days of old. Micah 7:14-20. Pope Francis: Mercy is the bridge that connects God and man, opening our hearts to a hope of being loved forever despite our sinfulness. FM2. Pope Leo: Through the Lord’s closeness, the gift of peace enters into the world in a paradoxical way. It does so through the power to become children of God, and is awakened when we allow ourselves to be moved by the tears of the little ones, the fragility of the elderly, the silence of victims and the struggle of those who fight against the evil they do not wish to commit. In this wounded yet beloved flesh, the Father shows us the true humanity of a life fulfilled through openness and communion, which leads us to desire that his will be done on earth as it is in heaven. MH231 ACT

AND PRAY. To be able to apply faithfulness and mercy in our lives. Pray the Prayer of St Francis for grandparents and the elderly. We pray for God’s blessing on the grandparents and elderly of our families and community, bless them with peace and contentment and an acceptance that their lives were well spent in your service. We ask St Joachim and St Anne, the grandparents of Jesus, to pray with us.