288th Meditation
“Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will gather me up” (Ps 26:10).
Even the most bitter human suffering is sheltered in God’s hands. We could add to the words of the psalm: “Though all people reject me and point the finger at me, the Lord will take me in”.
Thus, for every person there is always a way out, so that he does not have to succumb to the darkness of abandonment or despair. The Father does not abandon him! He descends to the lowest depths of human existence to assure people of His unquenchable love.
The liturgy of the coming days will introduce us to the event of our Lord’s Passion, where we will hear Him exclaim from the Cross: “Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing” (Lk 23:34).
What more could God, in His infinite love, do than to give Himself on the Cross to redeem mankind? What more can a person burdened with faults he can no longer atone for do? To whom can he turn?
We know the answer: The Lord will take him in, if only he will go to Him!
If it were not for God’s love, what would become of human beings? If it were not for God’s love, where could they go?
A father and a mother are also subject to creaturely limitations and can therefore fail; but the way to our Father is always open.
He who sets out on it never goes astray. No fault is too grave for Him not to forgive… And the way to the Father is not endless! Just one small step, just to pronounce with all our heart the word “Father”… Then His love can penetrate our hearts and we will know that He was already waiting for us.