Fourth Sunday of Lent

Readings of the Day

So often, when I reflect on the ministry I am privileged to do, I end up focusing on the pieces I am comfortable with: God is present in the poor and marginalized; the people we serve deserve dignity and respect; we are called to actively pursue charity and justice. These are all true, but today’s readings get at something more fundamental: God’s grace is independent of our worthiness.  

As a person who struggles with anxiety and perfectionism, I have a hard time believing this. Surely, the people who call me for financial aid or support in their immigration case are loved and can receive God’s grace, but not me. I can readily believe that grace is poured out for our clients, and that I am a vessel for it, whether or not society sees them as “worthy,” but I have a hard time believing it for myself.  I haven’t answered enough phone calls, planned enough evenings of reflection, or scheduled enough food pickups. Heck, sometimes I’m downright snippy with a client who rubs me the wrong way, or I leave a voicemail unanswered for an entire week, or I vent in frustration about a co-worker. Surely these actions disqualify me from God’s saving love.

Today’s readings are powerful (and uncomfortable for me) precisely because they say that’s not true. God’s mercy doesn’t depend on my works, but rather on God’s love. I only have to turn toward the light and believe.  The people of Judah had sinned outrageously, “practicing all the abominations of the nations,” and God still showed his mercy and welcomed them home to rebuild Jerusalem.  Paul reminds the Ephesians that God offers us new life “even when we were dead in our transgressions” with that same saving grace. 

The Gospel may be familiar to you since John 3:16 shows up on so many bumper stickers and signs at sporting events. However, the line that struck me was that “God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved by him.”  It is deeply important to me not to condemn the people who come to the church seeking help. Their identity as beloved children of God and part of the human and church family is a truth that I often remind them about. Maybe it’s time I offered that same generosity and grace to myself. After all, I am one of God’s beloved children too.

Sheila Herlihy is a Secular Franciscan who has served as the Coordinator of Justice and Charity at the bilingual Church of the Incarnation in Charlottesville, VA since 2013.

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