Daily reflection _ beyond me

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…
Deacon John Ruscheinsky
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."