Peggy Roe, member since 1970; Board of Trustees.

Center yourself on today’s reflection by lighting a candle and reciting this breath prayer:
Inhale – Blessed be the Lord, day by day
Exhale – the God who bears our burdens.

Micah 7:18
“Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of your possession? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in showing clemency.”

Reflection:
Micah was not only an early prophet (800 BCE) but also one who witnessed another chapter in Israel’s long history of political upheaval, subjection to foreign powers, and the subsequent abandonment of the Jews’ fealty to their one true God. Because of the Jews’ tendency to stray from God during a time of captivity, Micah wants to assure his audience that God’s grace will absolve God’s children’s acts of disobedience.

Three millennia later, we are still a sinful people, and whether it be a sin of commission or omission, we struggle on a daily basis to love God, to be kind to one another, and to follow in Jesus’s footsteps. More often than not, we fall short. Then, knowing God’s grace and forgiving nature, we tend subconsciously to expect to be forgiven when we confess our sins. But a question arises about the forgiver and the forgiven. A personal example comes to mind.

As a college student, I once wrote a hurtful letter about a young man who was being considered for membership in a men’s social group. I did not think he was the right person for the group and decided I should let the group know. Unfortunately for me, the group that received the letter revealed its contents to the leadership of the women’s group to which I belonged, and a crushing reprimand came my way. Although I was not booted out of my group—and the young man proceeded to join the other group—I still feel regrets about my behavior. I believe I was forgiven by God for my thoughtlessness, but I am not sure if I have ever forgiven myself.  

Micah is telling his fellow Jews that God knows of their iniquities (“gross injustices”) and transgressions (“intentional disobedience”) yet is still willing to dismiss his displeasure and show compassion to them. Sinful Jews and Christians alike, all of whom believe in the same deity, are blessed by God’s forgiving nature. With this knowledge, which is as old as Micah’s prophecy and as new as last Sunday’s homily, we must take the next step and forgive ourselves. Until then, we, like ancient Israel, will be subject to captivity—not of another nation, but of our own guilt.

Prayer:
Gracious heavenly Father, thank you for your gifts of unconditional love and forgiveness. We do not deserve a God like you, but we are so deeply grateful for having you. Please do not desert us in our time of need. In Jesus’s name, we pray. Amen.