Week of Sunday January 31, 2016
The Scripture ~ Oh give thanks to the Lord for s/he is good, Gods mercy endures forever. Psalm 136:1 NKJV
The Spiritual focus ~ From Fr Richard Rohr in his meditation, “A Santa Claus God” I recently visited the 9/11 Memorial at the site of the Twin Towers in New York City. A huge waterfall drops down into the darkness of a lower pool whose bottom you cannot see. It struck me deeply as a metaphor for God: mercy eternally pouring into darkness, always filling an empty space.”
The Devotion ~ On December 8, 2015, Pope Francis declared this year to be a jubilee year of mercy. That the Holy Door of mercy be thrown open in every parish, in every country. The open door is a symbol that nothing can separate us from God’s love and unending mercy. That there is no inside or outside, God’s mercy is poured out on all people. Some of us are not familiar with this rite in the Catholic Church, but every faith tradition understands mercy as a primary tenant of a faith practice. It is a faith practice that begins with a merciful God.
To be merciful one must understand the practice of receiving God’s mercy, otherwise extending mercy becomes about us, an act we fulfill and not about what God has done for us. In our scripture today and in the spiritual focus we are reminded of who God is for us, that God’s mercy is infinite, eternal. God’s mercy is the substance that fills the dark empty spaces in our lives.
Another word for mercy in some translations of our scripture is loving kindness. When moving from the physical practice of yoga to meditation one of the first meditations taught is a meditation on loving kindness. The first part of the meditation is to practice receiving loving kindness from God. We then sit with the experience, allowing loving kindness to permeate our whole being. Finally, loving kindness becomes an expression of mercy, radiating out from us. Loving kindness, mercy, is a faith practice of receiving God’s unending love and mercy. When we receive it so completely, loving kindness and mercy radiate out from us opening the Holy Door of mercy for all people.
Breath Prayer
Inhale ~ I receive
Exhale ~ Mercy
Inhale ~ I radiate
Exhale ~ Loving Kindness
