Jer 31:1-7 / Mt 15:21-28
In our school days and even well beyond, most of us saw the world in shades of black and white and said to ourselves as we read or heard of dreadful mistakes or grave sins, “I’d never do anything like that!” But then the years passed, and we came to appreciate the many shades of gray, and perhaps we were even guilty of some of those very things that earlier seemed so securely off limits and beyond the pale.
Our guilt posed a new question: What is to become of me now? Am I to be like the career diplomat or naval officer who “blotted his copybook” and henceforth is banished from the ranks and deprived of any hope of rehabilitation? Many people would answer “yes, exactly so.” But the Lord gives his own response in today’s Old Testament reading.
Using the extreme example of a woman who is beloved by her faithful husband but nevertheless has thrown herself into prostitution, the Lord promises to take her back again and even to restore her virginity! Even physically that seems impossible, but it is quite possible for God’s powerful and abiding mercy.
Trust that and don’t waste another minute standing at a distance from him. No matter what has gone before, far away is not where he wants you to be!
