Lectio
“For I saw no wrath but on man’s part; and that forgiveth He in us. For wrath is not else but a forwardness and a contrariness to peace and love; and either it cometh of failing of might, or of failing of wisdom, or of failing of goodness: which failing is not in God, but is on our part.”
— Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love
Meditatio
God’s sense of justice is altogether different from ours because God’s justice is rooted in love, forgiveness, and mercy, whereas, without God, our sense of justice is merely rooted in the desire to see our enemies punished. This is because God’s justice is Himself — His love and pity for His wounded, fallen children for whom He desires wholeness and reconciliation.
Even God’s punishment is intended toward our return, not our demise. Even the torment of His perceived absence is meant to draw us nearer to Him in our need for Him. But what we desire when we are wronged, or perceive ourselves as having been wronged, is punishment for the sake of punishment, vengeance for the sake of vengeance.
This is why Jesus commands us to love everyone, even our enemies, and to forgive everyone, even our enemies. To only love the loveable and to only forgive the contrite is worldly justice. But through Christ, we are called to join Him in God’s justice — to lead all souls, especially the lost, especially the broken, and especially our enemies, back to Him, which is back to love.
Worldly justice, on the other hand, leads only to death because, in rejecting the creator and arbiter of all that is right and just — God Himself — we have chosen exile and abandonment for ourselves. But through that same God, who was born as a slave and emptied Himself even unto death, our wounds are taken up into His and we are made whole. We need only accept His offering and extend that same reprieve to others by sharing in His love, mercy, and forgiveness which was freely given to us even when we, too, refused to see it or accept it.
Oratio
Failed To Love
for my part
I have failed
to love
where I have
received love
to forgive
where I have
received forgiveness
to offer mercy
where I have
received mercy
for my part
I have failed
but not You
never You Lord
Your word is true
Your love is true
You are true
may all of my failures
become Your glory
Contemplatio
Bring your failures here, exactly as they are, unpolished and unresolved. He is not waiting for you to fix them before He draws near. Remain here a moment longer, not seeking to control what comes next, simply allowing His presence to have its way with you.
Related Scripture
“Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of your possession? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in showing clemency. He will again have compassion upon us; he will tread our iniquities under foot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”
— Micah 7:18-19
For Further Reading
If you enjoyed this post, you may also like Quiet Steadfast Repentance: Francis de Sales, Contrition, Confession, and the Sacrifice Already Made (Lectio Divina), which turns from justice as mercy toward the parallel movement of releasing self-punishment, showing that quiet repentance and letting go of vengeance both flow from the same trust in a God who has already forgiven.
Robert Van Valkenburgh
Grappling With Divinity.
Wrestling With God.
Returning To Love.
Leave a Reply