When your enemies come to you and ask your pardon for the evil they have done to you, you must forgive them immediately. If you don’t then you are not merely erasing the Lord’s Prayer from your heart (where you say “forgive us as we forgive”); you are erasing yourself from God’s book.
—Augustine, Sermon 56
But suppose you [ask], do good designs and good intentions make a Christian? By no means, unless they are brought to good effect. “Hell is paved,” says one, “with good intentions.” The great question of all, then, still remains: Is the love of God poured out in your heart? Can you cry out, “My God and my All?” Do you desire nothing else but him? Are you happy in God? Is he your glory, your delight, your crown of rejoicing? And is this commandment written in your heart, “That he who loves God loves his brother also?” Do you then love your neighbor as yourself? Do you love every man, even your enemies, even the enemies of God, as your own soul? As Christ loved you? Do you believe that Christ loved you, and gave himself for you? Do you have faith in his blood? Do you believe the Lamb of God has taken away your sins, and cast them as a stone into the depth of the sea? That he has blotted out the handwriting [in God’s book of life] that was against you, taking it out of the way, nailing it to his cross? Do you have redemption through his blood, even the remission of your sins? And does his Spirit say to your spirit, that you are a child of God?
—John Wesley, Sermon 2, The Almost Christian, 5.24
O God, our Father, we know that the issues of life and death are in your hands, and we know that you are loving us with an everlasting love. If it is your will, grant to us to live in happiness and in peace.
In all our undertakings, grant us prosperity and good success.
In all our friendships, grant us to find our friends faithful and true.
In all bodily things, make us fit and healthy.
In all the things of the mind, make us calm and serene, free from anxiety and worry.
In material things, save us from poverty and from want.
In spiritual things, save us from doubt and from distrust.
Grant us in our work satisfaction;
In our study true wisdom;
in our pleasure goodness;
In our love loyalty.
And if misfortune does come to us, grant that any trial may only bring us closer to one another and closer to you; and grant that nothing may shake our certainty that you work all things together for good, and that a Father’s hand will never cause his child a needless tear. Hear this our prayer; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—Prayers for the Christian Year
When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died: ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept. His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said. But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.
—Genesis 50:15-21 (TNIV)
Two things jump out at us immediately in today’s text. First is the issue of God’s sovereignty. Despite Joseph’s brothers’ evil intentions, God turned their evil into good. This is especially good news for us today as modern communication technologies bombard us from every side with seemingly endless streams of bad news and the evil people commit. Human nature hasn’t changed over the years but our ability to hear about the evil we commit has increased dramatically and make us think that things really are worse than ever before. Today’s story reminds us that despite the evil we experience or read about, God is still in charge.
Likewise, this is good news for those of us who get discouraged in our faith journey. It seems like we can never entirely rid ourselves of the darkness in us or be free from our fallen nature. The story here of God’s sovereignty reminds us that we are only able to see a minuscule portion of the canvas of life, our little portion. But God sees the entire canvas and has an eternal perspective. So when things turn bleak for you in your life, remember the story of Joseph and remind yourself that despite appearances to the contrary, God is indeed in charge, God is indeed sovereign. You just don’t have the ability to see reality as God sees it. This, of course, requires faith and trust on your part.
A second thing that is readily apparent in today’s lesson is the graciousness of Joseph. He had every reason to hate his brothers. Indeed, they carried on their father’s legacy of deception even after his death by telling Joseph this final lie (at least we have no textual evidence that Jacob ever told his sons this) because they knew the evil they had done to him and were afraid. But Joseph chose to forgive and because he did, reconciliation and restoration was possible. Joseph knew that only God can judge and so he refrained from passing judgment on his brothers. Instead, he reminded them of God’s sovereignty and chose to love his brothers because of this.
Think on these things during this season of Lent. Ask God for grace to remind you that he is sovereign and to open your eyes to that reality so that the circumstances of your life or the world will not overcome you. If your faith is faltering, ask God to strengthen it by showing you his history of trustworthiness toward his people in the biblical story. This, of course, means that you will have to start reading that narrative so that God can use your efforts to answer your prayers.
Ask God for grace to become like Joseph and all the great saints of the Bible and throughout history so that you can live life as you were created to live it. In asking these things, remind yourself that you are not living life alone, that you can indeed count on God’s great help and mercy in any and every circumstance. He may not always manifest his gifts to you in the way or manner you would like. But because God is Sovereign and Good, you can always be sure that the story will turn out well in the end. You know this because you have the very cross and blood of Christ to remind you that this is true.
God’s will is to save us, and nothing pleases him more than our coming back to him with true repentance. The heralds of truth and the ministers of divine grace have told us this from the beginning, repeating it in every age. Indeed, God’s desire for our salvation is the primary and preeminent sign of his infinite goodness. It was precisely in order to show that there is nothing closer to God’s heart that the divine Word of God the Father, with untold condescension, lived among us in the flesh, and did, suffered, and said all that was necessary to reconcile us to God the Father, when we were at enmity with him, and to restore us to the life of blessedness from which we had been exiled. He healed our physical infirmities by miracles; he freed us from our sins, many and grievous as they were, by suffering and dying, taking them upon himself as if he were answerable for them, sinless as he was. He also taught us in many different ways that we should wish to imitate him by our own kindness and genuine love for one another.
He instructs us in divine justice and goodness, telling us to be like our heavenly Father, holy, perfect and merciful. “Forgive,” he says: “and you will be forgiven. Behave toward other people as you would wish them to behave toward you.”
—Maximus the Confessor, Letter 11
O God, I ask for the grace to pray. You are too good to allow anyone to be lost who is really trying to find you. Indeed, you are so good that I know that you will give me the grace to try and find you. Wash me free of all my silly earthly desires so that I may be clear-eyed enough to see you.
—Soliloquies, 1.6
During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.” His disciples answered, “But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?” “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied. He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people, and they did so. They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them. The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. About four thousand were present. And having sent them away, he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha.
—Mark 8:1-10 (TNIV)
One lesson we can learn from Jesus’ feeding of the 4000 is that we are to follow his example and be abundantly generous to those in need, both spiritually and materially. Neither should we worry about having the means to be generous because we can always count on our Lord to provide for us and to multiply our generosity toward those in need. When we begin to understand this, it makes being his disciple easier for us because we realize that being his disciple is not about us but rather about bringing glory to Christ. We should never fear being generous or worry that we might not have enough. If our Lord could feed the 4000, he can certainly help us extend his generosity to those in need. As pope Leo the Great pointed out, “Where [God] finds charity with its loving concern, there he recognizes the reflection of his own fatherly care. A generous spirit is itself great wealth. There can be no shortage of material for generosity where it is Christ who feeds and Christ who is fed. In all this activity there is present the hand of him who multiplies the bread by breaking it, and increases it by giving it away”
During this season of Lent, think on these things and be generous in your acts of charity and mercy, confident that the Lord will empower you to be effective in your ministry to others.
Gluttony and Drunkenness are to be avoided even at other times; but during these days of Lent even permissible meals should be restricted. Let our fasting be accompanied by frugality. There is nothing wrong in refreshing and supporting your body in its fast but this should be done through any ordinary food that is readily available, not be elaborate and exotic dishes.
—Augustine, Sermon 207.2
Don’t read this excerpt from Augustine as yet another set of rules you must follow during Lent. Instead, read it with the idea that he is talking about having an appropriate state of mind during Lent. Lent is a season for self-reflection and self-denial, a time where we actively attempt, with the Spirit’s help, to put to death our sinful nature and desires. Here Augustine reminds us that even on feast days during Lent, we should be mindful of this and practice circumspection in our consumption. Doing so helps us to be ever vigilant in our battle against our fallen nature.
If God is love, charity should know no limit; for God cannot be confined. Any time is the right time for works of charity, but these days of Lent provide a special encouragement. Those who want to be present at the Lord’s Passover in holiness of mind and body should seek above all to win this grace, for charity contains all other virtues and covers a multitude of sins.
As we prepare to celebrated that greatest of all mysteries, by which the blood of Jesus Christ did away with our sins, let us first of all make ready the sacrificial offerings of works of mercy. In this way we shall give to those who have sinned against us what God in his goodness has already given us.
—Leo the Great, Sermon 10 for Lent
Let me turn to my true high priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. Having fulfilled God’s plan, he passes into the heavens and enters into the presence of the Father to make him turn in mercy to the human race and to pray for all who believe in him. John the apostle, knowing of the atonement that Christ makes to the Father for all humanity, says this: “Little children, I say these things so that you may not sin. But if we have sinned we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous, and he is the atonement for our sins.”
We have then a day of atonement that remains until the world comes to an end.
God taught the people of the old covenant how to celebrate the ritual offered to him in atonement for sins. But you have come to Christ, the true high priest. Through his blood he has made God turn to you in mercy and has reconciled you with the Father. [Therefore] you are never to walk in darkness. So that you may always enjoy the light of knowledge, keep always in the daylight of faith, hold fast always to the light of love and peace.
—Origen, Homily 9 on Leviticus, 5.10
Unhappy ones, what can the law do without grace? What can the earth accomplish without the spittle of Christ? Run to the Physician and wash your face. Long for Christ, confess Christ, believe in Christ; the Spirit will be added to the letter, and you will be saved.
—Augustine, Sermon 136.1.5
Permit us not, O Lord, to hear your word in vain. Convince us of its truth, cause us to feel its power and bind us to yourself with cords of faith and hope and love that never shall be broken. We bind to ourselves today, you our God: your power to hold us, your hand to guide us, your eye to watch us, your ear to hear us, your wisdom to teach us, your word to give us speech, your presence to defend us, this day and every day; in the name of the blessed Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, to whom be the kingdom, and the power and the glory, forever and forever. Amen
—Patrick