Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
I want to thank all of you who have reached out with your prayers and support for me and my family in this sad time of loss. While it has been so difficult to lose our Mum, I am grateful that I was able to be with her, and with my family. We deeply appreciate your kindness towards us.
In his words of consolation to the defeated, captive people of Israel, the Prophet Jeremiah tells of the new covenant that God is going to write on the hearts of God’s people. This connects beautifully to the psalm where we ask God to create a clean heart in each of us. The imagery of cleansing is powerful in this instance. It does not require that there be no stain, no dirt, no blemish. Rather it shows us that God’s mercy and love is so great that it can wash away our guilt and our doubt and make our hearts ready for God’s love.
There is a phrase,” forgive but don’t forget.” We are cautioned to not forget so that we might be less disappointed, less gullible, less vulnerable. Imagine if this was how God approached God’s relationship to us? Throughout the course of human history, humanity has failed God innumerable times, and God has never wavered in forgiveness and mercy. If God can forgive us, can forget our sin and move forward with love, how can we offer less to ourselves and to one another?
Forgiving ourselves can prove most difficult of all. We are more intimately acquainted with our own failings than with anyone else’s. This week, as we prepare to journey to Jerusalem with Jesus, I invite you to join me in asking God to cleanse our hearts, to renew His spirit within us, and to etch His covenant of love on our inmost being.
I wish you and your loved ones continued Lenten blessings of good health, renewed hope and great peace,
Fr. Paul
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