The Lord created human beings out of earth, and makes them return to it again. He gave them a fixed number of days, but granted them authority over everything on the earth. He endowed them with strength like his own, and made them in his own image. He put the fear of them in all living beings, and gave them dominion over beasts and birds. Discretion and tongue and eyes, ears and a mind for thinking he gave them. He filled them with knowledge and understanding, and showed them good and evil. He put the fear of him into their hearts to show them the majesty of his works. And they will praise his holy name, to proclaim the grandeur of his works. He bestowed knowledge upon them, and allotted to them the law of life. He established with them an eternal covenant, and revealed to them his decrees. Their eyes saw his glorious majesty, and their ears heard the glory of his voice. He said to them, ‘Beware of all evil.’ And he gave commandment to each of them concerning a neighbour. Their ways are always known to him; they will not be hid from his eyes. He appointed a ruler for every nation, but Israel is the Lord’s own portion. All their works are as clear as the sun before him, and his eyes are ever upon their ways. Their iniquities are not hidden from him, and all their sins are before the Lord. One’s almsgiving is like a signet ring with the Lord, and he will keep a person’s kindness like the apple of his eye. Afterwards he will rise up and repay them, and he will bring their recompense on their heads. Yet to those who repent he grants a return, and he encourages those who are losing hope.
Turn back to the Lord and forsake your sins; pray in his presence and lessen your offence. Return to the Most High and turn away from iniquity, and hate intensely what he abhors. Who will sing praises to the Most High in Hades in place of the living who give thanks? From the dead, as from one who does not exist, thanksgiving has ceased; those who are alive and well sing the Lord’s praises. How great is the mercy of the Lord, and his forgiveness for those who return to him! For not everything is within human capability, since human beings are not immortal. What is brighter than the sun? Yet it can be eclipsed. So flesh and blood devise evil. He marshals the host of the height of heaven; but all human beings are dust and ashes.
He who lives for ever created the whole universe; the Lord alone is just.
To none has he given power to proclaim his works; and who can search out his mighty deeds?
Who can measure his majestic power? And who can fully recount his mercies?
It is not possible to diminish or increase them, nor is it possible to fathom the wonders of the Lord.
When human beings have finished, they are just beginning, and when they stop, they are still perplexed.
What are human beings, and of what use are they? What is good in them, and what is evil?
The number of days in their life is great if they reach one hundred years.
Like a drop of water from the sea and a grain of sand, so are a few years among the days of eternity.
That is why the Lord is patient with them and pours out his mercy upon them.
He sees and recognizes that their end is miserable; therefore he grants them forgiveness all the more.
The compassion of human beings is for their neighbours, but the compassion of the Lord is for every living thing.
He rebukes and trains and teaches them, and turns them back, as a shepherd his flock.
He has compassion on those who accept his discipline and who are eager for his precepts.
Commentary
Our good Lord showed me the enmity of the fiend, from which I gathered that everything opposed to love and peace comes from the fiend and his set. Inevitably we fall because of our weakness and stupidity – and just as surely we get up with even greater joy because of the mercy and grace of the Holy Spirit. Even if our enemy gains something from us when we fall (this is what he likes!), he loses very much more because of our love and humility when we get up again. This glorious rising up gives him such sorrow and pain (he hates our soul so much) that he burns and burns with envy. The very sorrow he would impose on us turns back upon himself. Which was the reason why our Lord spurned him – and the reason, too, why I laughed so much.
The remedy is to be aware of our wretchedness, and to fly to our Lord. The greater our need, the more important it is to draw near to him. Let our meaning be, ‘I am well aware that my suffering is deserved. Our Lord is almighty, and may punish me mightily; he is all-wise, and can punish me wisely; and he is all good, and loves me most tenderly.’ And with the sight of this we have got to stay. The humility of a sinful soul is a lovely thing, and is a work of the Spirit’s mercy and grace, when we consciously and gladly accept the scourge and punishment given by our Lord himself. It even becomes gentle and bearable when we are really content with him and with what he does. What penance a man should impose upon himself was not revealed to me - not specifically at any rate. But this was shown, with particular and loving emphasis, that we are to accept and endure humbly whatever penance God himself gives us, with his blessed passion ever in mind. When in pitying love we recall his blessed passion we suffer with him, as did his friends who actually saw it.
Our Lord is with us, protecting us and leading us into fullness of joy. For it is an unending source of joy to us that our Lord should intend that he, our protector here, is to be our bliss there – our way and our heaven is true love and sure trust! This is the message of all the revelations, and particularly in that of his passion where he made me wholeheartedly choose him to be my heaven.
Flee to our Lord, and we shall be strengthened. Touch him, and we shall be cleansed. Cling to him, and we shall be safe and sound from every danger. For it is the will of our courteous Lord that we should be as much at home with him as heart may think or soul desire. But we must be careful not to accept this privilege so casually that we forget our own courtesy. For our Lord himself is supremely friendly, and he is as courteous as he is friendly: he is very courteous.(Bl. Julian of Norwich)
Musical Selection
God of mercy and compassion
Look with pity upon me
Father, let me call thee Father
Tis thy child returns to thee.
Jesus Lord, I ask for mercy
Let me not implore in vain
All my sins I now detest them
Never will I sin again.
By my sins I have deserved
Death and endless misery
Hell with all its pains and torments
And for all eternity.
By my sins I have abandoned
Right and claim to heaven above
Where the saints rejoice forever
In a boundless sea of love.
See our Saviour, bleeding, dying
On the cross of Calvary
To that cross my sins have nail'd him
Yet he bleeds and dies for me.
Collect
Ever-faithful God, for the healing of our souls you teach us to discipline our bodies by penance. Give us the grace to abstain from all sin and to accept the demands that your love makes upon us. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.