Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
R. With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
Written by Emilie Berard
Today’s responsorial psalm has me thinking a lot about the difference between the words doing and being. Just because we do a thing, that doesn’t make us who we are.
We do the sin.
We are NOT the sin.
With God, there is redemption, and thank God for that simple fact. We are going to sin; it's in our nature, but it doesn’t mean we are bad people. We mess up sometimes, and thankfully, God is merciful and our sins don't define us. So that begs the question: who are we?
We are God’s sons and daughters. We are made in the image and likeness of God. At our core, we are good.
It is through the redemption of Jesus that we are saved. It is through Baptism that we are cleansed. It is through Confession that we are absolved. It is through the Eucharist that we are His.
Now, in that redemption, we must also remember to forgive. I see all too often folks hold the hurt and the hate in their hearts and struggle to let it go. They remain angry and scorned by others' wrongdoings onto them. However, as the psalm says “With the Lord, there is mercy, and fullness of redemption. We definitely need time to process the feelings and reflect on the situation, but then I pray we all find the strength to forgive others and ourselves when the time is right.
I’ll leave you with a couple of questions to mull over.
1. What are you thankful for today?
2. When was the last time you have been to confession?
3. Could it be time to go again?
4. Who do you need to forgive right now? A friend? A relative? Yourself?
Trust in the Lord, and have a great Sunday.
Emilie Berard has walked with God in various capacities including volunteering and working for the Catholic Church for several years. She is married to her wonderful husband, Chris, and together they strive to grow their marriage to be faith-filled. She would like to invite you to check out the National Eucharistic Revival. You can find her on Instagram.