The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
Slow to anger and abounding in mercy.
Psalm 103:8
The Lord is Compassionate and Gracious – Psalm 103:8
The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
Slow to anger and abounding in mercy.
Reflection
Let us take a moment to first reflect on this fact: “[Our] Lord is compassionate and gracious; slow to anger and abounding in mercy.” We must keep this truth front and center of our day(s) so that we never wary in approaching the Throne of Grace in our time of need. Moreover, prayerfully meditating on this truth fills our heart with constant gratitude for the Lord’s goodness. And gratitude is what opens the door to His grace.
Consider the Israelites wandering in the desert for a moment. Out of His compassion and mercy, God rescued them out of bondage. He traveled before them as a pillar of fire while providing for their every need and protecting them from all danger. What did they do in return? They grumbled, complained and lost hope. They do what many of us do today: they took the Lord’s love, kindness, compassion, grace and mercy for granted.
God loves you very much. And He repeats this message to you daily and in every way possible. Regardless of sin, your past and all your shortcomings, He loves you and wants to spend eternity with you. While salvation is the “biggie”, the end game — the “be all, end all” — the Lord wants a relationship with you right now. In order for us to enjoy the fullness of this relationship (and of life!), however, we must do our part. We must honor our Lord by repenting of our sin, turning away from it, carrying our crosses and following Him in all of our ways. But the Lord’s gift of compassion, mercy and grace is free! It is there for us every single day and this is something never to be taken for granted.
The truth is, we are not dealt with in the way we deserve. Rather, because of Who He is — because of His divinity — we are dealt with according to His great, unfathomable and unconditional love. So then, let us love our Lord with a burning zeal and passion today. Let us carry to heart the words of St. John, “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 Jn. 4:19).
Prayer
Jesus, Thank You for being compassionate and gracious; slow to anger and abounding in mercy. Forgive us when we wander our own proverbial desert, grumbling and complaining as the Israelites did. Please make us sensitive to our conscience, immediately aware of our offenses against Your Sacred Heart, and give us the strength to immediately seek forgiveness. Help us also, Lord, to be more grateful. Just as we have been freely given, so help us to give freely to others … slow to anger and compassionate beyond our natural inclinations. Thank You, Father, for Your supernatural power working through our lives today. May we never take this grace from Heaven for granted. It is in Your good and Holy Name we pray, Amen.
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