Meditations on Psalm 130 for June 10th Mass: Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Responsorial Psalm PS 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
R. (7bc) With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;
LORD, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication.
R. With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,
LORD, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered.
R. With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
I trust in the LORD;
my soul trusts in his word.
More than sentinels wait for the dawn,
let Israel wait for the LORD.
R. With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
For with the LORD is kindness
and with him is plenteous redemption
and he will redeem Israel
from all their iniquities.
R. With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.

From the depths of my heart, I call to you, Oh Lord…

How many times have I strayed from God’s ways and then suffered the consequences of my actions?  As many times as life brought me to my knees, where I cried out for my Lord to hear and answer my pleas. 

If you kept a record of my sins Lord, how could I have stood my ground? 

The truth is, I would not have been able to stand my ground. I am acutely aware that it was only, and still is, God’s grace that saves me from myself. I shudder to think where life would have taken me, if You Lord, hadn’t rescued me.

So many of my younger years were lived restlessly, like a can in the middle of the ocean; tossed and turned from pillar to post—sometimes thrown by the huge waves. 

I didn’t realize I could influence what happened to me. If I thought at all—it was only to think about how I could survive the moment.  Most of the time, I felt like I was sinking into the depths of fear and anxiety.  I was only able to reach solid ground when I matured enough in faith to know that my whole being relies on the promise of Christ:                                                             
​
that Your faithful love ransoms me from all my sins.

Maturing in faith often comes from the experiences that bring us to our knees. So, instead of lamenting my hardships; I repent of my contribution to them, and truly rejoice in how God can use my suffering as an opportunity to help me grow in wisdom, compassion, understanding and mercy. My suffering lets me  know, without a doubt:

With the Lord there is mercy, and fulness of redemption.

​Patricia Cosgrove

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