Mar
22
2019
By Anonymous (not verified)
The Marian Fathers present this Lenten devotional series to help you prepare to receive graces on Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday.
Readings: Gen 37:3-4, 12-13A, 17B-28A; Ps 105:16-17, 18-19, 20-21; Mt 21:33-43, 45-46
Diary: 440, 522, 872
"Finally, he sent his son to them." - Mt 21:37
Orson Welles, the famous American director, writer, and producer, once commented, "If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story."
We read some upsetting stories today. The Genesis passage depicts siblings conspiring to murder their own brother, Joseph, and then deciding to sell him into slavery. In a parable with multiple killings, Jesus alludes to treatment of the prophets, and He prophecies His own death.
And yet the refrain from today's Responsorial Psalm says, "Remember the marvels the Lord has done."
How can we sing of the Lord's marvels today? Because we know the rest of these stories. We know that Joseph earns a position that will ultimately save his family and others from famine. We know that Jesus' Death and Resurrection open Heaven to us.
These stories have a happy ending because they end in mercy. The happier news is that God's mercy has no end. As St. Faustina writes:
Readings: Gen 37:3-4, 12-13A, 17B-28A; Ps 105:16-17, 18-19, 20-21; Mt 21:33-43, 45-46
Diary: 440, 522, 872
"Finally, he sent his son to them." - Mt 21:37
Orson Welles, the famous American director, writer, and producer, once commented, "If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story."
We read some upsetting stories today. The Genesis passage depicts siblings conspiring to murder their own brother, Joseph, and then deciding to sell him into slavery. In a parable with multiple killings, Jesus alludes to treatment of the prophets, and He prophecies His own death.
And yet the refrain from today's Responsorial Psalm says, "Remember the marvels the Lord has done."
How can we sing of the Lord's marvels today? Because we know the rest of these stories. We know that Joseph earns a position that will ultimately save his family and others from famine. We know that Jesus' Death and Resurrection open Heaven to us.
These stories have a happy ending because they end in mercy. The happier news is that God's mercy has no end. As St. Faustina writes:
Let every soul trust in the Passion of the Lord, and place its hope in His mercy. God will not deny His mercy to anyone. Heaven and earth may change, but God's mercy will never be exhausted (Diary, 72).
Prayer: Dear Lord, my story hasn't ended. May I grow in trust of Your mercy.
Missed a day? See previous "From Ashes to Mercy" daily meditations.
ddburg
