Be mindful of your mercy…

This psalm of David tells of the many times that he did not act in God’s ways. At the same time that he prays for the Lord to teach him the way to the right path, he invokes the Lord’s mercy on all of his transgressions.

“What would Jesus do?” was a mantra especially for the youth in the recent past. While it still holds true, not too many people say it nowadays. The world seems to have changed drastically in the past decade. 

The developments in technology have greatly aided mankind in general. We get results faster, we are able to do things remotely, and we are able to increase our productivity in a shorter period of time.

This is especially evident in this time of pandemic. While socially and physically distancing ourselves from others, we are still able to communicate with our friends, still eat food from our favourite restaurants, and for some of us, still earn a living as we work from home. Some of the businesses are still able to operate. We are able to attend church services and hold prayer meetings online and even pray over people! This is good, right?

This same technology however, makes it equally possible for all the negative in social media that we can think of — pornography, hate videos, violence, drugs — to thrive. Defamatory speech and slander now seem to be an everyday occurrence. We hear and read about them everyday. Technology makes that possible.

There is indeed much that we should ask mercy for from the Lord. Now more than ever is His mercy needed. There are so many sins: even those of omission and procrastination that we are guilty of! Lord have mercy! 

For the last six months, I have spent most of my time home, distancing myself physically. While not too fond of watching TV, I find myself watching the news most often and trying to find out what’s happening around the world. I end up upset, angry, and repeatedly expressing the things which anger me. I didn’t even think of praying for those who upset me. Only recently did it dawn on me that I was contributing to the negativity around me.
I got sucked into it. This is the time we need to get down on our knees to pray and intercede for others, most especially those who are not in a position to pray. They need our prayers.

Reflecting on this psalm reminded me that I need to ask for the Lord’s mercy not only for myself but also for others. I need to pray that God, in His loving mercy, may shower His grace — even upon those who do not think that they need it.




Liz Venezuela
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An important reminder, especially in the middle of the year we’re having: God is not the author of our woes. God does not cause pandemics. God does not cause hurricanes — and certainly not so many that we’re dipping into the Greek alphabet to name them. God doesn’t make our loved ones sick. God does not hurt us.


The flip side of this: God is the author of our blessings. God is Goodness itself, so we can say with joyful hearts that He tempers our woes with His goodness.


In watching the progress of hurricane Laura, the hand of God was abundantly clear. The damage to Lake Charles was significantly less than the near certain catastrophe predicted. On Twitter, a family I follow shared pictures of a rosary still hanging from their back doorknob after the storm. To me, that’s proof of God’s goodness and mercy in the face of one of the strongest hurricanes in a century.


God’s goodness can also be seen in the increase in kindness being witnessed all around us. Their kindness is God-inspired and God-directed.


The examples I gave were things beyond our individual control, but this bears out when we are the author of our own woes as well. God doesn’t make me speed and get pulled over. God doesn’t make me eat the wrong food; procrastinate ahead of a deadline; overspend my budget; speak harshly to others. I knowingly make bad choices. When I rail against the consequences and try to pass the buck to others, including God, it’s good to track back and remind myself: God is not the author of my woes. I am responsible for my own actions and choices. Getting mad at God won’t undo that.


We are reminded in this reading that when we do wrong, there are two recourses: God’s mercy and our own actions. I am invited to turn away from sin and turn to God. I can’t unspend the money, un-eat the food, or take back my wasted time. But I can ask forgiveness of those I’ve wronged. I can make better choices going forward. Best of all, I can pray for God’s mercy and grace to keep making better choices. His way is just. His way is truth. His way is life. My way is selfish. My way is hurtful. My way is death.


How truly blessed we are to have a God who forgives us and sends us His goodness. The world is broken, both in my own self and in nature. Please God remind me to praise Him who is worthy of all praise. Teach me to follow Your ways and reject the worst inclinations in my heart, both for my own good and for those around me.




Stephanie Potter

“What do you do?”


I’ve been asked this question. You’ve been asked this question. Maybe at a dinner party, or your spouse’s Christmas party; on a first date; while networking; at the gym; in an elevator. It is commonly asked when you’re trying to get to know someone. And crazily enough, we prepare to answer this question from a very young age. How often as a child or teen were you asked: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” My answers varied from Wonder Woman to an actress to a fashion designer to a writer to a French teacher. And well, I’m still trying to figure it out!


However, there is a slight difference between those two questions. To “do” something and to “be” something are not the same thing. Oftentimes we can put more value on what a person does rather than on who they are. The labourers in our gospel story have done this. And that makes me a little sad. They believed their sense of worth was solely tied to the work they did. They worked longer so they should be entitled to more pay. Yet the landowner saw things differently. He wanted to make sure those who could work had work, and also that they received the dignity that having work provides. The landowner focussed on who the labourers were, not just on what they could do.


In this parable, we understand the landowner to be God. And God values me for me and you for you. He placed that value in each of us. This is why, as Christians, it is difficult when we see a person’s value being taken for granted or mistreated or sadly even thrown away. This should cause us concern and hopefully call us to action. Unless we choose a “job” that helps to bring out the value God has placed in us, then that “job” is truly what we do but is not and cannot be all that we are.


I can easily lose the value that God placed in me and focus on the values of our world. I can be like the labourers waiting for and wanting what I believe I am entitled to. But there is another choice. I can remember the value I have as a daughter of God, a worth beyond measure. I can choose to be one of the labourers or I can strive to be like the landowner who sees the value already inherent in everyone and help to provide each of my brothers and sisters with the support and care necessary to build up their value.


God places value in us, making us who we are and we can connect that value to what we do. Ultimately we all have the same thing to do: proclaim God’s goodness. Because that’s where our value lies.


So… what do you do?




Aurea Sadi