Collect taken from Twenty-Sixth Week of Ordinary Time.
Collect: O God, who manifest your almighty power above all by pardoning and showing mercy, bestow, we pray, your grace abundantly upon us and make those hastening to attain your promises heirs to the treasures of heaven. Through our Lord Jesus Christ…
“O God, who manifest your almighty power above all by pardoning and showing mercy, bestow, we pray, your grace abundantly upon us”
– God, infinitely powerful, beyond time and space, creator of the universe has chosen to be merciful toward small, impudent, sinful human beings. God’s mercy on us is truly the greatest show of His power, so we even honor Him in asking Him to demonstrate that power by pouring grace upon us.
“make those hastening to attain your promises heirs to the treasures of heaven.”
– With such power on our side, we ought to not only heed God’s promises, but hasten toward their fulfillment. In so doing, we place ourselves on the receiving end of the greatest of gifts.
Questions & Advice: How do you view power and control? Are you confident in God’s ability to forgive? Do you hasten toward God or simply meander?
Read about the power of God’s mercy in the sacrament of confession in the Catechism (1440-49). Honor God’s power by seeking confession this week. Spend some of your daily prayer time reflecting on the area of your life where you do not hasten toward God. Resolve to make at least one act of self-denial in that area: to do quickly and without complaint something for God that you normally would try to avoid.
