News - October 2022 RSS Feed

"The quality of mercy is not strained. It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the plain beneath. It is twice blest: It blesseth him that gives and him that takes"  So says Shakespeare in Merchant of Venice, Act 4, Scene 1. The Psalmist would say: "The Lord is good to all and His tender mercies are over all his works" (Psalm 145:5). Today we hear about God's mercy and see mercy in action in the gospel.

We all want God to hear our prayers. Today we get a lesson in how that happens. The "secret ingredient" is humility.

Nothing fancy - just the basics. That's how we could describe the lessons in the readings today. Persistence in prayer, the importance of Scripture, the necessity of faith - are non-negotiable in the spiritual life.

How often have we heard, "it's the little things that count." Little things - like "please" and "thank you," like a word of praise or encouragement, like asking advice and actually taking it, even little things that don't seem to make a lot of sense, like washing seven times in the Jordan River!