“Remorse and God’s Mercy” by Colleen O’Sullivan
At the time of the evening sacrifice, I, Ezra, rose
in my wretchedness, and with cloak and mantle torn I fell on my knees, stretching
out my hands to the LORD, my God. I said: "My God, I am too ashamed and
confounded to raise my face to you, O my God, for our wicked deeds are heaped
up above our heads and our guilt reaches up to heaven... "And now, but a
short time ago, mercy came to us from the LORD, our God, who left us a remnant
and gave us a stake in his holy place; thus our God has brightened our eyes and
given us relief in our servitude. (Ezra
9:5-6, 8)
Piety
When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising
sun, O Lord, have mercy on me.
-
from “Let Us Break Bread Together,” African
American spiritual
Study
The
people of God are beginning to return from Exile in our first reading today, a
seeming occasion for joy. However, Ezra, the priest, finds the joy short-lived.
While God’s people are trickling back and meeting up with the tiny remnant
who’d never been seized and forced to live in a faraway land, he discovers that
they have not lived out those years faithfully. They have intermarried with
people to whom the God of Israel means nothing. The children of these unions
cannot be considered racially pure. Foreign
influences tainted their faith practices.
So,
we find Ezra on his knees, unable to raise his eyes to God, confessing his
shame to the Lord. At the same time, the
priest acknowledges the mercy of God. Even amid all this sin and deceit, God
shows mercy and compassion.
I
can’t imagine living in Exile, far from everything I know and hold dear.
Neither can I fathom getting so upset about people marrying spouses who don’t
share their beliefs, because that is what I’ve grown up with and what surrounds
us everywhere we look in our culture. We are a melting pot of the good, the
bad, and the indifferent. But I have no trouble whatsoever believing that God
lets us experience the consequences of our sins. I’ve seen it happen. Ezra
knows that his people didn’t listen to God. They turned their backs on their Creator.
God did not need to cast them into Exile. Through their actions, they were
already far down that path by the time the Babylonians ever came to get them.
It’s the same with us. Actions, including sin, have consequences. Just look back over your life and remember
the times you’ve turned away from the Lord.
Our sinfulness sets off a cascade of events.
Action
There are two things I’d like to hold
onto from this Scripture passage. One is Ezra’s remorse for the sins of his
people. This priest kneels before God, unable to look up, so great is his
sorrow for the sin that has caused this separation between Creator and
creature. How many of us experience such profound regret for our sins? Or are
we more likely to attempt to brush them off, telling ourselves they’re not that
big a deal in the long run?
If we take nothing else away from this
story, remember that Ezra realizes no matter how far we stray (and we all do),
God is merciful and compassionate, pursuing us, ever ready to forgive us our
transgressions. All we have to do is show remorse.
(Editor’s note: Welcome back, Colleen!
Life goes on in endless ways. “Your Daily Tripod” welcomes back Colleen
O’Sullivan who was on a “sabbatical” from writing reflections in the early
summer while attending Creighton University’s spiritual direction program.
Shortly after her return from Omaha, Nebraska, she then was out for a few weeks
recovering from surgery. Now she is back and ready. How can she keep from
singing and writing reflections?)
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