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Suggested Emphasis
"…You have mercy on all, because you can do all things; and you overlook people's sins that they may repent. For you love all things that are and loathe nothing that you have made…your imperishable spirit is in all things!"
Salesian Perspective
The author of our reading from Wisdom gives grateful thanks to God for his gentleness, patience, and mercy. The Lord loves all that he has made. All creation is meant, as the reading from Thessalonians reminds us, to glorify God, its loving Creator. Indeed, all of creation bears the imperishable spirit of the One who has loved it into life.
Our offenses, our failures to give glory to God, are not to be denied, nor are they to weigh us down and keep us from moving forward, from being called forth anew by God. We are meant to bear the image of the God who created us in love. In his Treatise on the Love of God, DeSales writes, "Consider the nature God has given to you. It is the highest in this visible world; it is capable of eternal life and of being perfectly united to his Divine Majesty." [Treatise 1:1]
When we fail, God gently calls us back into right relationship. The call is an invitation, not a demand, and we respond to that invitation in freedom. Psalm 145 praises God who is "gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness." As God is gentle and patient with us, so we must be gentle and patient with ourselves. DeSales captures these qualities in the Introduction to the Devout Life: "..When we have committed some fault if we rebuke our heart by a calm, kind remonstrance, with more compassion for it than passion against it and encourage it to make amendment, then repentance conceived in this way will sink far deeper and penetrate more effectually than fretful, angry, and stormy repentance."[Introduction III.9] With this gentleness and patience, we reflect the love of God and, in the words of our reading from Thessalonians, we give glory to our loving Creator.
Our gospel story puts flesh and blood on the qualities of repentance, gentleness and mercy. Jesus reaches out, looking up into the tree and calling to Zacchaeus rather than waiting for Zacchaeus to climb down and approach him. Jesus seeks the "lost" Zacchaeus and, by coming to where Zacchaeus lives, invites him back into a relationship of love. Zacchaeus repents in a true spirit of humility. He accepts the gentle invitation in freedom. Without being coerced, he offers reparation.
Gentleness, patience and mercy are qualities of God that we, as creatures who bear his image, are called to reflect. When we witness them in human relationships, we catch glimpses of our creating, redeeming and inspiring God -- alive and smiling -- here on earth.
Rev. Michael S. Murray, OSFS, is the Executive Director of the De Sales Spirituality Center.
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