7th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
Grant, we pray, Almighty God, that, always pondering spiritual things,
we may carry out in both word and deed that which is pleasing to you.
This week’s readings speak about the compassion, love and mercy of God, and of our calling as Christians to allow the love he has given us to be expressed in our thoughts, words and actions. In the First Reading, David has been pursued by King Saul, who intends to kill him. By chance, he and his men come upon Saul asleep in a cave. Saul is totally in their power, but David chooses not to kill God’s anointed king. Instead he simply removes Saul’s weapon from him. By his actions, David makes his righteousness clear to everyone. The Second Reading speaks of our human nature. We are created by God, as was Adam, in finite bodily form that lives on this earth. In Christ Jesus we find our true eternal being, made in his image. We are called to live our lives according to his likeness. The Psalm speaks of the ways in which God loves and heals us. He does not treat us according to our faults, but with mercy and compassion. ‘Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate’, Jesus urges us (Gospel). His sayings are challenging and perhaps seem hard to live out. But we need not be sad: our recognition of weakness is also a cause for joy. We cannot live the life of a Christian without his help but need to rely on him, allowing him to deepen his life in each one of us. This week I pray for the grace to depend more fully on Jesus, that his compassion, mercy and love may be shown in my life.
