# God is greater than our sin
*2017-03-23*

> Bill Young reflects on the Divine Mercy of God and the importance of trusting in His forgiveness during the third week of Lent.

## A Witness to Divine Mercy

I had a bit of a chaotic start to my day. I was supposed to meet some sisters from the Legion of Mary at All Saints church to practice the rosary, but the meeting was moved to a private residence because the church is currently providing shelter for the homeless. I think it is a great blessing that they are doing that, following the example of Pope Francis and the Vatican; I hope all our parishes learn from that.

I ended up getting lost and decided to head home, where I found some painters working on my house. One of the painters, Jose, had a sticker on his car depicting the body of Our Lord Jesus Christ inside a cross. When we started talking, he shared a powerful story about his aunt who had cancer. He told me that while she was on a ventilator, her heart flatlined for over fifteen minutes. Exactly at 3 o'clock—the Hour of Divine Mercy—her heart started beating again. Although she eventually passed away, this experience served as a reminder that the promises of our Lord's Divine Mercy are kept. It makes me wonder why we waste time on things that do not matter when the only thing that truly matters is Jesus Christ, who came to save us.

## Lenten Reflection: God's Infinite Mercy

Today is Thursday of the third week of Lent. I am reflecting on a text from 'Lent, A Time of Grace' by Pope Francis titled 'God is Greater Than Our Sin.' It references Psalm 51:1-2: 'Have mercy on me, O God, blot out my transgressions, wash me thoroughly from my iniquities, and cleanse me from my sin.'

Our plea for forgiveness is addressed to the God of mercy. We use images of being washed and cleansed because we have a true need to be forgiven from evil and the consequence of death. We must trust that God is greater than any sin we can commit. God's love is like an ocean in which we can immerse our failures without fear of being overcome. Forgiveness gives us the certainty that He never abandons us. The thought for today is: for what sin must I want God to cleanse me?

## Saints and Scripture

I am also following a journey through Lent 2017, which I picked up at a men's conference at St. Mark's Evangelist Church. Today we honor Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo, a bishop born in Spain and a missionary in South America who confirmed both Saint Rose of Lima and Saint Martin de Porres. 

In the Gospel of Luke 11:14, Jesus drives out a demon that made a man mute. When the demon left, the man spoke and the crowds were amazed. My prayer today is to follow the example of Saint Turibius by speaking the amazing word of God and refusing to be muted by evil or fear.

## The Luminous Mysteries

To close our time, we pray the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary. We meditate on the Baptism of Jesus, asking for openness to the Holy Spirit; the Wedding at Cana, learning to go to Jesus through Mary; the Proclamation of the Kingdom, seeking repentance and trust in God; the Transfiguration, desiring holiness; and the Institution of the Eucharist, focusing on adoration.

*No matter the gravity of our sins, we can find peace knowing that God's mercy is an ocean far greater than any failure we may have.*