Psalm 123 / Mark 6:1-6
Fr. Azam Vianney Mansha, CJM
Dear sisters and brothers,
The Psalmist surrounded by troubles and experiencing loneliness would lift up his eyes to the Lord to plead for His mercy. Looking up or fixing his eyes on the Lord is not a simple gesture, but it is through his profession of faith that God gives him his salvation through His mercy. Even though the Psalmist is aware of his sinfulness and troubles, he still gazes at the Lord with the confidence of receiving His mercy.
The Psalmist knows that his sins are so many, but he believes that the mercy of the Lord is more powerful than all his sins. The mercy of the Lord did not only give life to King David; it also strengthened the faith of the Israelites for it allowed them to see God as the source of life who always takes care of those who turn towards Him seeking His mercy.
Following the teachings of Jesus Christ, we too are invited to turn towards the Father like the Psalmist. Jesus Himself taught us that when we pray, we must say “Our Father in Heaven”(Matthew 6:9. This means fixing our eyes on the Lord because “a little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just” (Pope Francis).
Let us never forget that once we have received mercy, we must extend it to our fellow human beings because “mercy towards a human life in a state of need is the true face of love” (Pope Francis). The mercy of the Lord is the force which awakens in us the zeal and the strength to love and to serve all those people who are in great need, especially the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the sick, the stranger (Matthew 25:35).
Let us open our hearts and minds to receive the King of Mercy, our Lord Jesus, who was rejected by His own due to their ignorance and arrogant attitude. They put Jesus into a box and limited the Divine Power of Jesus, but we know and have experienced that Jesus is the instrument of God’s Mercy who gives life in abundance (John 10:10).
May Mary, the Mother of Jesus and our Mother, intercede for us to always fix our eyes on the Lord to receive the King of Mercy, Jesus Christ, in our hearts and minds.
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