Reading 1: Daniel 9: 4B-10,
Psalm 79:8,9,11,13
Gospel: Luke 6:36-38 Full Readings
Today's first Reading from prophet Daniel invited as Israelites did, to reflect on our lives, assess them and be truly sorry for our sins. The first stage of conversion is always recognition of our faults, to know that we have truly sinned, not to continue pretending that all is well, which involves also making sins normal, we decide on ourselves to make them good. There we try to become God ourselves, we refuse to heed to the instructions and way of life God gives us, by that, we have really sinned. So let us examine our lives:
Where have we sinned? Where have I not followed the way of God, rebelled against him, and departed from his merciful love? Where have we disrespected his chosen ones and messengers of good news, judged them falsely instead of helping them, and then not paying heed to their authentic teaching?
Where have I gone wrong with my neighbor, myself, in my thoughts and other aspects of life?
When we recognize what we have really, we accept them, feel sorry and promise to not do them again, our God, merciful one, compassionate and forgiving will surely forgive us and bring us back home, for he is always waiting for us. This is to be guided by our prayer, which the psalm tells us, Lord do not deal with us according to our sins and really God will not cast away for he is merciful. The mercifulness of God invites in return to be merciful (compassionate) as he is, as Jesus emphasizes in the gospel.
What does it mean to be merciful?
It is a tendency toward forgiveness, pity, or compassion. So we are invited to be merciful to ourselves, our neighbor and even to the whole world. When we are moved with pity even as Jesus was, we reach out to our friends and help them, when moved with compassion, we are moved deeply in our hearts, touched by the lives and experiences of other people and we feel to go into their lives as the helper and empathize with them. This act of Mercy involves forgiveness. If we need to be forgiven, then we have to forgive also, for if God forgives us even with grave sins, who are we not to forgive, for if we don't, we are passing judgement on our neighbors.
As human beings we sometimes judge a person as evil, bad, and all sorts of things. There are experiences of hating a person at first sight, because maybe he is not up to your standards, he reflects someone bad in your life, and many other considerations. These things happen, and we need to be aware of them, not to fall into judging others, as some we don't know their backgrounds. Instead, let us recognize God's image in everyone and if we can see something wrong in a person, pray for his conversion instead of judging, in this way we shall not be judged too.
One of the pillars also for this Lent is alms giving, let us focus on giving others, helping those in need and we shall receive more, though not in material things but God will reward us through his blessings and we will prosper. Remember no one is poor not to give, and nobody is Rich not to receive, but let's not always focus on receiving but giving.
The measure you give which you measure will also be measured for you. My experience with business men is this. The one who wants to make more profits by exploiting customers by increasing prices, will end up collapsing by lack of customers, while those with relative prices and not really focused on profits but service, customers will flow to them, and even will make unexpected profits. This can also be applied in our lives, the more you are open to welcome people, and make friends, the more friends you will have and more help you get as well as social inclusion, however the more you are closed and being judgmental to every body the more you will be excluded and u will tell desperate. There are many instances we can say here with all of them coming with the same message, that if we want more, we have to give more. Remember one reaps what he sows.
Let is pray today that thing Lent will enable us to develop and cultivate these Christian values in the Gospel and by this we shall not be the one living but Jesus who lives in us. Amen.
Blessed Lenten period
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