“So the LORD passed before him [Moses] and proclaimed: ‘The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity, continuing his kindness for a thousand generations, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin; yet not declaring the guilty guiltless, but bringing punishment for their parents’ wickedness on the children and children’s children to the third and fourth generation.’”
(Exodus 34:6–7)
Today is the Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. There are two gospel options. A reading from John 11 recounting the scene around the death and raising of Lazarus, or a passage from Luke 10 recounting the story of Martha and Mary during a visit by Jesus. In both passages there are lots of questions asked of Jesus. I am reminded of a passage from St. John of the Cross’ Ascent of Mt. Carmel in which St. John offers:
“In giving us His Son, His only Word (for He possesses no other), He has spoken everything to us at once in this sole Word—and He has no more to say… because what He spoke before to the prophets in parts, He has now spoken all at once by giving us the All who is His Son. Therefore, anyone who now wants to question God or desires some vision or revelation is not only acting foolishly but is also offending Him, by not fixing his eyes entirely on Christ and by living with the desire for some other novelty. For if God wished to speak a word, it was no other than His Son. He is the complete Word, and there is no more to be said.…” (Book 2, Chapter 22)
The author goes on to explain that in the person of Jesus all that is knowable about God that we can comprehend has been given to us in the person of Jesus.
It is the nature of we mortals to want to know more, see more, and understand more deeply. We want to draw closer. It is the desire of Moses in the first reading and it brings him face-to-face with God as He chooses to reveal Himself. Moses has asked to see God’s glory, and in response, the Lord declares His Name. But what He reveals is not a list of divine attributes as much as it is a personal profile of His very being: “The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity.”
This self-description becomes a refrain throughout the Scriptures—echoed in the Psalms, the Prophets, and fulfilled in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. It is as if God is telling Moses—and us—“This is who I am. Trust me to be this way always.” There is no more to be said
There are two wonderful phrases: “Merciful and gracious” and “rich in kindness and fidelity.” Some translations offer the second phrase as “overflowing with faithful love.” To be merciful and gracious means that God does not treat us as we deserve. He stoops low, bends down to lift us up. He sees the full truth of our brokenness and still leans toward us in compassion. Grace is God’s choice to love first. Mercy is His choice to forgive fully.
But He is also just: “not declaring the guilty guiltless.” We hear this and might recoil a bit. But this too is love. God does not ignore sin because sin wounds. It poisons hearts and communities and must be addressed. Yet even here, His justice is measured in mercy. He speaks of guilt affecting “to the third and fourth generation,” but His kindness reaches a thousand. The scales of divine love always tip toward mercy.
In Jesus, this merciful and gracious God becomes flesh. He continues to forgive wickedness, rebellion, and sin—but now through His own wounded hands. On the Cross, the Name proclaimed to Moses is made visible. There is no more to be said.
But there are things to be done. Namely, that our lives reflect the Name of the Lord—not only in how we speak of Him, but in how we live with one another: slow to anger, rich in kindness, faithful in overflowing love.
Image credit: Sacred Heart of Jesus, altarpiece in the Holy Trinity Parish Church in Klenovnik, Croatia | PD-US