June 13, 2015 - Saturday

For as the heavens tower over the earth,
so his mercy towers over those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our sins from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him. (Psalm 103:11-13 NABRE)

We have to use our imagination to understand today's excerpt from Psalm 103. The imagery is visual and we call to mind the expanse of sky over the earth.

Picture a sky full of stars while lying in a field at night. It seems to go on forever. Picture the sky with no clouds on a sunny day, a cool breeze blows as you stand on a mountain peak with nothing blocking your view in any direction. The sky seems to go on and on endlessly. So endless does it seem, we have to disengage from the view. It does not disengage from us. God's mercy goes on endlessly like that night sky full of stars, like that cloudless sky high in the mountains.

Stand on that mountain again where you can see for miles and turn to the east. Look as far as you can toward the horizon. Now, turn to the west and look far into that horizon. Imagine next that you are far out on the ocean, standing on the bow of a ship. Look east and then look west. Notice the horizon again. There seems to be no end and if you could mark a spot at the farthest point you can see in each direction, it is clear that they would never touch each other. It is this way with our sin when we seek God's mercy. God removes our sins from us so they can never touch us again.


Today, I will recall God's compassion and pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for a special intention.


Saint Anthony of Padua, patron of lost items, the poor, and travelers, pray for us.