Compassionate God, help me to grasp how incredibly deep and endless is your mercy toward us all.

Option 1:
Scripture: John 1:1-18
Reflection: Having spent time coming to grips with the devastating impact of sin, consider anew how God chose to respond to our turmoil. Where do you see God’s light showing up in your life and community?

Option 2:
Scripture: Romans 5:6-11; Ephesians 2:4-9
Reflection: Ignatius says to have a conversation with God, asking two questions:

  1. “How can it be, Creator God, that you made yourself a human being and
    from the realm of eternity came to a temporal death in order to die for my
    sins?”
  1. “What have I done for you Jesus? What am I doing for you Jesus? What
    ought I to do for you Jesus?”

Song: “And Can It Be That I Should Gain?” (music); see also lyrics here.

Option 3:
Scripture: Romans 8:31-39
Activity: Write, draw, or have a conversation with a friend about the most significant experiences of mercy and forgiveness that 1) you have witnessed and 2) you have personally received. What feelings arise knowing this is what God’s mercy is like for you? Talk with God about your reflections.

Option 4:
Reflection: Spend some time soaking in the details of “Woman Caught in Adultery,” a painting by Woonbo Kim Ki-chang. How does this painting help you to internalize God’s merciful response to sin?

Option 5:
Scripture: John 11:1-44
Reflection: As you read the Lazarus story, consider how the burial clothes wrapped around him represent sin. Contemplate how God weeps over our death and in compassion calls us forth from the grave to give us life and healing.
Song: Broken Things (See also lyrics here)

Option 6:
Scripture: Philippians 2:5-11.
Reflection: Continue to ask yourself these two questions in conversation with God:

  1. “How can it be that God, the Creator, became a human being and
    from eternity came to a temporal death, and so die for my
    sins?”
  1. “What have I done for Christ? What am I doing for Christ? What
    ought I to do for Christ?”

Reviewing the Week:
Look back on the past week. What stands out to you the most as you have prayed and reflected on God’s mercy? Talk with God about your reflections. Close with the Our Father.