14 Oct 2015
It’s kind of a scary thought sometimes, I mean . . . that “the
Lord gives back to everyone according to his works” [Ps 62:13b]. I don’t know that I want to be repaid for the
some of the things I’ve done. You know, I’m
a sinner. I make mistakes. In some ways, it can feel like we’re set up
to fail.
Really, how can any of us be truly happy? If God pays us back for what we do, we’re
always going to be in the hole—because none of us is perfect. How can an imperfect creature ever reach
perfection; the perfection of happiness, the perfection of peace? But, Christ says we can do it—not by
ourselves, of course . . . but with God we can.
This past Sunday he said that with God all things are
possible. And that’s the key. Of all the things we do that God pays
attention to—of all the things we do that God pays us back for—the thing that
wins a gold star is when we love the fact that we depend on him. God pays us back most powerfully for the trust we put in his merciful Heart.
And there is no sin God cannot forgive. The “work” we’re left to do is to believe that, and then to live a life of faith and hope that God
really is who he says he is: a God of love and mercy. With God by our side (or, rather, with us by
God’s side), we don’t have to live in fear what God will do to us because of
what we’ve done . . . because what we will have done is to love God.
We love God imperfectly, of course. But the fact that we attempt to love God as best we can is the “work” God pays attention
to. God “gives back to everyone according
to his works.” So, may we do that most
important work of letting go of fear and trusting in the goodness and mercy of
God.
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