What if Lent Could Rekindle Your Faith? Exploring the Kerygma
Life can take us on unexpected paths, and sometimes our faith journey can feel like it’s taken a detour. If you’ve found yourself distant from your faith, or if you’re simply curious about exploring it again, this Lenten season offers a gentle invitation to reconnect. These daily reflections focus on the Kerygma, the core message of Christianity – a message of love, hope, and new beginnings. We’ll be exploring eight key “Acts” of God’s story, from creation to our present call to partnership with Him. There’s no pressure, no judgment, just an invitation to consider a different perspective and perhaps rediscover a connection you thought was lost.
Act 3 of the Kerygma: The Heart of Mercy
Theme
Kerygma Act 3: God’s Everlasting Love Invites Us
“This is the moment when we realize God is not only inviting us to know Him, but He is personally inviting us to love Him and be loved by Him. He is inviting us to be part of His family. He is inviting us to be His children. This is the moment when we are called to make a free will choice to accept or reject this invitation. This is the moment of decision.”
Hosea 11:8-9
How can I give you up, Ephraim, or hand you over, Israel? How can I treat you like Admah, or make you like Zeboiim? My heart is overwhelmed, my pity is stirred. I will not give vent to my blazing anger, I will not destroy Ephraim again; 1 For I am God and not man, the holy one present among you; I will not 2 come in wrath.
Reflection
Can you feel the tender ache in God’s voice? In these verses from Hosea, we glimpse the very heart of God, a heart overflowing with mercy and longing. He sees our failings, our wanderings, yet He cannot bear to abandon us. This isn’t a distant, stern judge; it’s a loving parent, wrestling with the pain of a child’s choices.
This is the very essence of the Invitation. God isn’t simply offering us a set of rules or a distant promise. He’s revealing His deepest desire: to be in intimate relationship with us. He’s inviting us to come home, to experience the boundless love that stirs within Him. In the midst of our Lenten journey, where we confront our own imperfections, this invitation is a beacon of hope. He shows us that even when we stray, His mercy remains, always drawing us back. Let us, in this moment of decision, choose to accept His embrace, to live as beloved children, and to walk in the light of our baptismal promises.
Prayer
Loving God, your heart overflows with compassion, and your invitation is a gentle whisper of love. Help me to recognize your presence in my life, to feel the depth of your mercy, and to respond with a heart full of trust. I choose to accept your invitation, to draw closer to you, and to live as your beloved child. Amen.
Action
Take a moment to reflect on a time you felt God’s mercy. Write down your feelings and thank God for his continual love. Then, perform an act of kindness for someone who needs it, mirroring God’s compassionate heart.
The Kerygma
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Sharing
Jesus last words on Earth were to his disciples, can be found in Matthew Chap 28 when Jesus told his disciples, “Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Jesus calls all of us to share in his redemptive mission here on Earth. I would ask you to share this Scripture reflection with your family, your friends and your acquaintances, and then share it with a couple of individuals that you may may not be comfortable sharing with, keeping in mind always the words of Jesus, And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age
Author was assisted by AI in the drafting of this Post