Saturday, March 04, 2006
Forgiveness
The sum of a person's days is great
if it reaches a hundred years:
Like a drop of sea water, like a grain of sand,
so are these few years among the days of eternity.
That is why the Lord is patient with us
and showers upon us his mercy.
He sees and understands that our death is grievous,
and so he forgives us all the more.
Sirach 18:7-10 is a wonderful brief reflection. I've wondered why it was overlooked for the Order of Christian Funerals, as it details God's motivation for showing us mercy: human grief.
If we could see how sin causes death, and how that death, in turn, brings us and others around us to grief, would that be enough to turn us to sorrow? Would it be enough, knowing that God is all the more ready to forgive?
