The readings for the 4th Sunday of Lent (Cycle B) are filled with compassion. The reading from 2nd Chronicles speaks of the return of the Israelites after seventy years of exile. Over 25 million people in our world today long to hear such a message.
The text from Ephesians proclaims a “God who is rich in mercy” and who “because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ.” “By grace you have been saved through faith…it is the gift of God; it is no from works, so no one may boast.”
And the gospel reading tells us that “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish.”
What a strange note, then, the Collect for the Wednesday of the 4th Week of Lent strikes: “O God, who rewards the merits of the just and offer pardon to sinners who do penance, have mercy, we pray, on those who call upon you, that the admission of our guild may serve to obtain your pardon for our sins.”
Is it penance and the admission of guilt that wins pardon for our sins? Or is it the death and resurrection of Christ? Is our salvation the reward of our merit of the free gift of God? It may be possible to nuance this prayer but the Collects are meant to be proclaimed aloud and form the faith of the listener. A homily on the Collect may be helpful for a deeper understanding but should not be necessary for a proper interpretation.
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