September 19
Much greater was your mercy
he painter who
has painted a very perfect picture may go away to another country, but
the picture continues to exist without him; even if he dies, it lasts for
many years, because he made it out of something and his own contribution
was simply the form. You, however, Lord, bestow everything, and therefore
no creature can be conserved unless your mercy that gave it being continues
to give it existence at every moment and thus conserves it. In you, Lord,
we live and move and have our being. Great was the mercy shown in producing
me, for before I existed I was nothing, and no less in giving me so noble
a being that is capable of receiving your glory. But much greater was the
mercy you showed me, Lord of my soul, by redeeming me at such a cost to
you in blood, honor, and life. This was the great mercy which King David
had in mind when he said, Have mercy on me, O God, according to your
great mercy. This blessing was an ocean of mercies: blessed be you
for your kindness and goodness!
From John E. Rotelle, O.S.A., Tradition Day by Day: Readings from
Church Writers. Augustinian Press. Villanova, PA, 1994.
HTML text prepared by David P. Steelman
