March 3, 2021
Dear friends,
This past Sunday (the 2nd Sunday in Lent) is called Reminiscere – it’s named for the first word of the Introit in Latin:
Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.
Let not my enemies exult over me.
Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles.
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame.
Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O Lord!
What a beautiful contrast that is – the contrast between God’s memory of his mercy and his forgetfulness of our sins. It’s strange to think of God remembering or forgetting, but that’s how he invites us to understand our relationship with him. He has promised to remember us, to remember his mercy, and to forget our sins. They are forgotten in Christ on the cross. There the debt is paid and the wrath satisfied.
When God looks at you, he sees you in Jesus. When you look at yourself, see yourself in Christ. When you remember the sins of your youth, or if you begin to forget the mercy of God, cast your eyes towards Jesus on the cross. See yourself hidden in his wounds and praise God for his goodness!
God bless and keep you,
Pr. Buchs