Loving Kindness

Homily for Wednesday of the 2nd Week in Lent

The Hebrew word that is used most often to describe the attributes of God is “Chesed.” We translated as “loving kindness.” This word is part of our response to these readings as we pray Psalm 31, “Save me, O Lord, in your kindness.”

God’s loving kindness stands in direct opposition to the people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem who plot against Jeremiah in today’s first reading. It is the prophet Jeremiah who most closely resembles Jesus as he approaches his death at the hands of evil ones.

Today, we hear not only his own prediction of the coming passion, but his admonition that we too will be challenged by the evil people of our own times. Consequently, I choose the word “kindness” as our mindfulness trigger today. As we go through this day, let us actively seek ways to practice random kindness with those we meet today.