Psalms 88, 91, 92
Genesis 47:1-26
1 Corinthians 9:16-27
Mark 6:47-56

The Holy Scriptures always amaze me, particularly the range of expression and the feelings each reading produces. Psalm 88 is titled “Prayer for Help in Despondency”; Psalm 91 is titled “Assurance of God’s Protection”; Psalm 92 is titled “Thanksgiving for Vindication.” The feelings are all there in those Psalms—despair, relief, gratitude. In the Genesis reading, Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his family, “provided his father, his brothers and all his father’s household with food according to the number of their dependents.” In Corinthians, Paul, in a section on “The Rights of an Apostle,” says “nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ.” Finally, in Mark, in a section titled “Jesus Walks on the Water,” Mark writes, “but when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out. But immediately he spoke to them.” It’s all there—family relationships, rights and duties, supernatural events. What to make of it? It’s so human, so divine!

I often think of Lent as a time of reflection on experiences that are sad or painful. But these passages taken together reveal to me the infiniteness of God’s love, Agape. They show me the trustworthiness of God. To me, they reveal a truth: God created us to love us, over and over and over again—love without end.

O Holy One, You have given us the Scripture to reveal to us your eternal love for us and for all of our brothers and sisters (even the ones we do not like or those we fear). I thank you for your Word made flesh, Jesus Christ, and for the Scriptures that helps us to see the “big picture,” the Good News that Jesus is Love Incarnate! Amen.

~Tom B.