Today is March 21, Friday of the Second Week of Lent.
At today’s Mass, the responsorial psalm is: “Remember the marvels the Lord has done” (Ps 105:5).
The past defines the present in many ways. We each come from somewhere with particular experiences that form how we see the world today. Even though the past exists, it does not leave us.
The memories of our childhoods in the past affect us in the present. Because of the love we had from parents and friends, we know that we are good. The good things we did in the past give us confidence today. Mistakes from the past, however much we try to forget them, make us wiser in the present.
Remembering the past is an important part of the human experience. It helps us to know who we are as individuals and understand the world around us.
God’s work in our own lives
God has done amazing things in the past. He did so for the whole human race, from entering into covenants with human beings to saving them on the cross. He does so for each one of us as the merits of the cross flow to each of us, as the blood of Christ flowed down to the earth.
Remembering the great marvels done by the Lord says something about our present. Meditating on the life of Jesus Christ, especially his Passion and death, tell us what we are worth in God’s eyes. He took all of our sin and shame upon himself to save us when we did not deserve to be saved.
Looking at our own lives, we can think of the ways God has worked within our own circumstances. We have each encountered Jesus in one way or another. In different ways, we have come to know the comfort of his presence and the particular ways he has challenged us and changed us for the better.
On this Lenten day, we take time to remember the wondrous things God has done and give thanks to him. We know we are loved because of his cross. We know that we are loved individually by the wonder he has wrought in our lives and in our hearts.
Let us pray,
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that, purifying us by the sacred practice of penance, you may lead us in sincerity of heart to attain the holy things to come. 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.
