BEYOND ME
Made in the image and likeness of God, we, too, are
called to show mercy to others and to do acts of kindness for them…
The story of David's sins and the resulting
impact of his covenant relationship with God illustrate critical structures of
salvation history. Today's first reading recounts his sins up to the
battlefield death of Uriah the Hittite. We can be thankful to God for our
Liturgy, in which we literally give our response as a praying community. As
people of faith, the community acknowledges its sins and weaknesses, not just
as one person alone like we focused on King David today, but as a whole. We all
need the structure of repentance. We need acknowledgment and contrition, which
brings us to transformation in each of our lives.
The Psalmist tells us that our heavenly Father
is kind and merciful. Made in the image and likeness of God, we, too, are
called to show mercy to others and to do acts of kindness for them, whether it
be through almsgiving, words of encouragement, heartfelt gestures of caring, or
deep listening. All are signs of God's love and forgiveness. In Psalm 51, the
classic song of the contrite heart, we hear the truth of God's mercy,
compassion and forgiving love.
In the Gospel, Jesus speaks of the Kingdom of
God. He likens the Kingdom of God to a seed planted in the ground which
germinates and develops by its own inner force until it bears fruit. This is
like the love of God alive in you and me. I would like to end with "Beyond
Me" from an unknown author:
"Almost
everything is beyond me: the inner workings of a combustion engine,
The DNA helix,
the orbiting of planets, how gravity and grace work, the flight
of the
bumblebee.
Is there
anything that I truly comprehend?
Anything that
is not beyond me?
One thing
alone, one thing I understand:
the kindness
behind being given a cup of water,
a word of affirmation, a smile across a subway aisle."