Persistence in Mercy
- Alexis Abello
- Jul 27
- 2 min read
In our first reading, I am stricken by the Lord’s posture. “The Lord remained standing before Abraham,” despite Abraham’s pleading. It was this stillness that provided a reassurance to Abraham, and he drew nearer. Abraham drew closer with a pleading request, a request for mercy. He returned to this posture and to God again and again with the same request. This is a familiar feeling from my prayer as I go again and again to not only the confessional but to prayer, with the same broken pieces, the same longings. Yet, He never tires of us.
God did not grow weary of Abraham or our voice. He does not say, “You’ve asked too many times.” Rather, as Jesus says in the gospel, we are invited to keep asking, seeking, and knocking with relentless hope.
St. Augustine believed that “sin is the lie that we are self-created, self-dependent, and self-sustained.” Faith, thus, is an act of courage, to believe that we are more to God, that we are worth saving, that God’s mercy is not measured by our timelines or understanding, but by His infinite love. We are not self-created, defenseless, and empty creatures.
Persistence in the face of mercy is intimacy. As we come to the sacraments for healing, not a transaction for our souls. While God remains standing before Abraham as he seeks mercy, I like to imagine the next part of the story, the part where the Father opens his arms for us to return to them and says He isn’t giving up on us.
Alexis Abello lives in a small town, where she reflects on the beautiful mysteries of God, among creation and the elderly she works with. She kindly asks for prayers as she continues to discern where she is headed in this big, beautiful life.
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