Duc in Altum

From Today's Readings:

Hear the word of the LORD, princes of Sodom! Listen to the instruction of our God, people of Gomorrah!
Wash yourselves clean! Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes; cease doing evil;
learn to do good. Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan's plea, defend the widow.
Come now, let us set things right, says the LORD: Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow; Though they be crimson red, they may become white as wool.
If you are willing, and obey, you shall eat the good things of the land;
But if you refuse and resist, the sword shall consume you: for the mouth of the LORD has spoken! Isaiah 1:10,16-20

How many of us see the mercy of God in these words to us? He is merciful to tell us that we are doing evil, we have wronged others, we have ignored the orphan's cry, and we have neglected widows. If we understand the depth of our sin, which is simply the truth about ourselves, we are open to having our sins cleansed. We often want to think that we are pretty good people, but the reality is that we have done many things that are offensive to God. We have hurt Him by our lack of love for Him and His creatures.

Instead, we must have a perspective that we are sinners who have access to mercy of God at any moment. He invites us to set things right with a wonderful promise. By setting things right with Him, we will enjoy His favor otherwise we can only expect suffering because of our refusal to address our sins.

St. Francis of Assisi was a great saint because he understood the mercy of God. He loved God for His having given him mercy although he had sinned against God. The closer he drew to God, the more he understood that he was a sinner and the more he was amazed at God's mercy which covered his sins. One way that he demonstrated this was by always trying to bear insults with patience. He was able to do this because he thought that he deserved even worse than the insults which he was given. Any insults were light in comparison.

I can only understand this intellectually. I am not wont to accept insults with much patience. Perhaps the solution to this lies exactly where St. Francis found it--developing a deeper relationship with God through prayer and devotion. It sounds so easy, but I do not pursue it the way I pursue so many other things. Perhaps the problem is that I know that if a draw closer to God, my sins will be clearer. What I am failing to realize is that I will also have a greater grasp of God's infinite mercy.