Let Your Mercy Be On Us

Welcome to Word for the Week, the series in which I:

share my experience of hearing God’s Word in Mass last weekend,
explore what I believe the Lord is calling me to do about that Word, and
ask how this Word might impact your life, as well.

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Two weekends ago, I attended Mass at St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Portland, Oregon. The liturgy was stunning, dramatic, somber, symbolic, and uplifting. Mass took place after dark, with mostly young adults in the congregation. The lights adjusted during Mass to emphasize the various rituals of the Word and the Eucharist. I didn’t know it at the time, but it was to be my last Mass in quite a while, as I’m now in self-quarantine and the global situation doesn’t look to alleviate anytime soon.

The Word that stood out to me was “let your mercy be on us,” from Psalm 33:22, May your mercy, Lord, be upon us; as we put our hope in you.

Sometimes, the Lord leads me swiftly. For instance, I’ll hear a verse or passage that grabs my attention at Mass, and it rings out as an immediate remedy to a given dilemma. This time, it took several days to hear an answer to my question, “Lord, what do you want me to do about this Word?” The answer came through this passage later in the week:

“I affirm that...the Gentile peoples are to praise God because of his mercy.” (Romans 15:8 - 9)

Yes, yes, yes. That’s the answer: to praise God because of His mercy. Gratitude has been a huge blessing in this time of uncertainty. Here are seven mercies for which I’m praising God today:

-An incredibly full and fruitful tour to Washington, Oregon, and California
-David’s advanced preparation for this quarantine
-Inspiration to write two new books with the theme of healing and mercy
-A homeless man who spoke a prophetic word to me on tour last week
-Safe return home just before all of the closures began
-Conviction that the Lord will rescue His people in this time of darkness
-This breathtaking image of Our Lady of Sorrows

In scripture, the Magnificat is a beautiful example of praising God because of His mercy. It’s the song of praise sung by the Virgin Mary, just after she accepted the call to become the Mother of God.

Her own plans for the future had undoubtedly been turned upside down at that point. If her betrothed had turned his back on her, she would have been stoned to death. And yet she sings joyfully, confident in God’s promise of mercy.

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my savior....His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him.” -Luke 46-47, 50

I’m inviting you to take a moment to gaze upon this image by my friend Diana Jorda. Our Lady of Sorrows shows us how to embrace God’s call in times of joy, doubt, gladness, hope and of course in our own sorrows. Let’s ask her intercession as we praise the Lord for his mercy in it all.

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