My life is deprived of peace,
I have forgotten what happiness is...
But this I will call to mind;
therefore I will hope:
The LORD’s acts of mercy are not exhausted,
his compassion is not spent;
They are renewed each morning—
great is your faithfulness!
It is good to hope in silence
for the LORD’s deliverance. (Lamentations 3:17, 21-23, 26 NABRE)
In his apostolic exhortation,* The Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis writes to us that, "The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus." When we read today's verse, written more than 2,500 years ago, we come to recognize that this has always been true. Francis also points out that, "Joy adapts and changes, but it always endures, even as a flicker of light born of our personal certainty that, when everything is said and done, we are infinitely loved." (Evangelii Gaudium)
Lord Jesus, thank you for the infinite love you have for me! Holy Spirit, I seek to live in and nurture a constant awareness of your nearness. I seek to experience the joy each day, amid the little things of life, which Pope Francis refers to as a response to the loving invitation of God our Father: “My child, treat yourself well, according to your means… Do not deprive yourself of the day’s enjoyment” (Sir 14:11, 14)*
Today, on this second Sunday of Lent, I will find joy in the Lord's mercy, compassion, faithfulness, and infinite love toward me.
Saint David of Wales, patron of poets, who knew joy because he lived in and nurtured a constant awareness of God’s nearness, pray for us.
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