Oh God Be Merciful to Me a Sinner

10-26-2025Weekly ReflectionFr. Manasseh lorchir, VC

God is holy and just. His holiness abhors sin and in His justice, He punishes wrongdoing whether it is committed against Him, against neighbor, nature or even self. However, God is merciful in His administration of justice. On this matter, God is immutable. Scripture teaches us too that there is a clear preference for the weak, the oppressed, the sinner who admits his failings and commits to making amends in the administration of God’s prerogative of mercy. When the poor and downtrodden cry, the Lord hears them and responds speedily.

The First Reading at the liturgy this weekend acknowledges God’s immutable justice which knows no favorites. It also notes that God hastens to respond to the cries of the weak, the oppressed, the widow, the lowly and the righteous. He heard the cry of the blood of Abel and demanded accountability from Cain. He heard the cry of Hagar and her son Ishamel in the wilderness and sent them nourishment. He heard the cry of Israel as she slaved under Egypt and sent Moses to bring them redemption. Uriah the Hiittite’s blood screamed for justice on the battle ground, the Lord heard and dispatched the prophet Nathan, David’s friend, to confront him with the truth and Divine recompense. As humanity groaned under the weight of sin and death, God heard and sent His only begotten Son to give us power to become children of God.

The Lord hears the cry of the poor. To the persecuted Christians in Nigeria and anywhere else, the Lord hears you. To those living under oppressive systems that impoverish the weak in order to empower the strong, the Lord hears you. To the immigrant who is afraid, the Lord hears you. To the homeless and those in need of the basic necessities of life, the Lord hears you. To anyone who feels cut off from the assembly of the people of God, the Church, the Lord hears you. And to the hopeful Christian who is fighting sin, addiction or even an unfortunate relapse, the Lord hears you.

Note must be taken not to miss the subtle warning embedded in the First Reading. Because the Lord has a preferential option for the poor and the weak, those whose actions contribute to the enslavement and impoverishment of others must repent of their wrongdoing and seek mercy. To each one of us who have received blessings from our loving father, God asks, “Where is your brother?”

As Christians, we are invited to pray, but we must pray right. Prayer is never a license for a pharisaic expression of our exaggerated self-worth. We do not approach God’s presence in prayer to glorify ourselves, surely an omniscient God should know how righteous we are, and are not. Prayer is rather an opportunity to demonstrate our perpetual need for God’s mercy by acknowledging our failing and sinfulness and asking to be set once more on the path of a righteous relationship with God. In the parable that Jesus told, the pharisee misused the opportunity that prayer afforded him to become the conscience of others while flaunting his self-righteousness and so went home unchanged. The tax collector simply acknowledged his sinfulness, pleaded for mercy and went home at peace with God.

May we never be the reason the poor and weak cry to God, and may we be given the humility that enables us to achieve a true estimation of where we are in our relationship with God. May we seek to be where God wants us to be in this righteous relationship with Him. Please be kind and may God bless you.