God’s Merciful Gaze

It is easy to write down the above words- God’s Merciful Gaze - but to fully understand their meaning is the challenge.

When we are feeling bad about ourselves and full of negativity can we truly turn our gaze to God or allow His gaze to melt away our hard edges? That is why I love Pope Francis because he keeps reminding us about God’s Loving Gaze on us. The images he uses are so powerful for example - that the Church is a field hospital for sinners.  God’s Love and Mercy is inclusive of EVERYBODY. While we were still sinners God sent His Son Jesus to save the world.

God loved the world so much that ‘He showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.’ Romans 5:8

That is the crux of the matter.  It is while WE were still SINNERS and not when we had repented and had sorted out our lives. If we are honest, this baffles us and is not at all like we humans think or act. We like things more clear cut.

It is hard to love even ourselves when we are feeling negative or have sinned. We are told by those who study psychology that we have a tendency to hold onto negativity and forget about the good thing we have done. We are slow to forgive ourselves and we do to others what we do to ourselves.

This Easter Season as we look at the new life and growth all around us we need to remember the tree that bears the new blossoms – the tree is the same tree but the shoots are a new growth, never seen before.

The generous merciful loving way God acts can seem too good to be true to us. But the good news is it is! We believe it in our heads but we need to allow it to sink into our hearts.

I have a lovely image from my own life of this love and an image of God’s love for us. When I was working late at night my Dad used wait up for me so that I didn’t come into a dark cold house. He waited in case I needed someone to chat to after a long day at work. It was years later when my Mam told me this. My Dad was a loving presence waiting for my return home.

God is always first,

First to wait for us.

First to love us,

First to help us.

(Pope Francis)

and

‘Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look full in His wonderful Face,

And the things of the earth

Will grow strangely dim.’

 In the Light of His Glorious Face  

(Helen H Lemmel)

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