Lenten Moments of Mercy: Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent   When we approach God in prayer, we tell the truth about who we are and what we need.

Scripture “They forgot God, their Savior,       who had done great things in Egypt, wondrous works in the land of Ham,       and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.” Psalm 106:21‒22   Reflection There is a well-known story of St. Teresa of Avila (1515‒1582). St Teresa was a tireless reformer of the Carmelite Order in Spain, which meant a lot of traveling. No doubt she met resistance in recalcitrant communities who were not anxious to practice the more severe discipline that St. Teresa was teaching. On one journey she was riding a donkey and fell off into the mud, injuring her leg. In her frustration, she complained to the Lord that this was not what she needed. “If this is the way you treat your friends,” Teresa complained, “it’s no wonder you have so few!” This had to be the kind of frustration Moses was feeling in the first reading from Exodus 32:7–14. After everything that God had done, the people were incessantly complaining, even forgetting their commitment to the Lord, creating a pagan idol to worship. Moses was feeling the stress of leadership, imagining that God would abandon the people. He pleaded with the Lord to remember the promises made on Mount Sinai. If God abandoned the people, the Egyptians would be proven correct and God would be humiliated. God relented, and Moses returned to the people, strengthened by God’s promise of mercy. Reflecting on this Scripture, Pope Francis tells us that the behavior of the people had caused Moses to question the promises God had made on Mount Sinai. In prayer, Moses rediscovered the true meaning of God’s promises and was heartened by the experience. He received the courage to continue the journey with the people. Pope Francis explains that it is in the nature of sincere prayer to change our hearts, to help us understand better who God truly is. We can be too cautious in approaching God, somehow thinking God cannot take honest questions or complaints. Quite the opposite is true: true prayer is telling God the truth about our situation, our problems, and our challenges. Pope Francis says that prayer is like “speaking to a friend: in prayer one opens one’s heart” (Morning Meditation, 3 April 2014). In this Fourth Week of Lent, we might also feel frustrated, not unlike Moses did. The time and energy that we have given to fasting, prayer, and almsgiving may not seem to have produced any results. But God offers us the opportunity to approach him with honesty so we may address whatever issues are of most concern and be more completely open to his promise of mercy.

Pope Francis “We cannot pray without the Holy Spirit: it is he who prays in us, who changes our hearts, it is he who teaches us to call God ‘Father.’” Morning Meditation, 3 April 2014   Lenten Action ► Read Living Lent Daily for extra inspiration this week. ► Learn more about St. Teresa of Avila.   Prayer Lord, let us never forget your wondrous deeds and your promise of mercy.

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