Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Focusing our hearts on the "law of the Lord"

Our Scripture readings for today, Wednesday of the third week of Lent, focus our hearts on the “law of the Lord.” When we hear about these laws, we often think in legalistic terms where questions such as, “What do I need to do to fulfill the criteria?” enter our hearts. Although the observances of such laws are a part of our Christian lives, I would like to suggest that what God calls us to is much more radical.

God is calling us today-- as in everyday-- to trust His providential care by entrusting our lives into the law of love that He has “planted in our hearts.” Far from giving us a set of rules to measure up to, our tender God has implanted His law, His life, deep within. Our choice each day is to say “yes” to this law of love which urges us to die to self and to receive and act out of the love and mercy that our Father lavishly bestows on us. Ironically in observing the commandments and in resting in the beauty of the beatitudes as a map for our Christian life, God has given us not rules to fulfill but the path to receive His Love and His fullness of life, which is far beyond our understanding.

The path of life is deepened through daily prayer. One of the best definitions of prayer I’ve heard is Prayer is permitting God to love me.

I invite us into taking time today, and each day, for “prayer”—time to permit God to love us. Here we can rest in gratitude to God for giving us the law of love that leads us along the path of His life dwelling deep within our own hearts.

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"I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it.

I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor:
the first — by deed, the second — by word, the third — by prayer. In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy.

Many souls ... are often worried because they do not have the material means with which to carry out an act of mercy. Yet spiritual mercy, which requires neither permissions nor storehouses, is much more meritorious and is within the grasp of every soul.

If a soul does not exercise mercy somehow or other, it will not obtain My mercy on the day of judgment. Oh, if only souls knew how to gather eternal treasure for themselves, they would not be judged, for they would forestall My judgment with their mercy".