13th December
“In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”
“Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.” – Matthew 1:23
The Jesuit James Keenan SJ describes mercy as “the willingness to enter into the chaos (messiness) of another persons life”. Our lives are often messy, there is heartache and pain, things that don’t go to plan, mistakes, messes of our own making, and difficulties that have come to us through no fault of our own. The crib reminds us that God wants to join us in all the flawed messiness of our lives, to show us his merciful love. He meets us where we are, no matter what sort of chaos our lives are in, God wants to be with us, to soothe and console us with his unconditional love.
Notice those people around you who might be struggling. Look for opportunities to show them some of God’s love and mercy, through kind words and small acts of kindness.
God of mercy, through Jesus you made visible and present to us your love and mercy. May we grow in awareness of this love in our lives, and in our turn may we be a visible face of your compassion and love to those around us, through our words and through our deeds. Help us ensure that all people know that no one is excluded from your love.
Amen.