Reflection for Monday, March 18; Second Week of Lent; Luke 6:36-38

Gospel: Luke 6:36-38

Jesus said to his disciples: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. “Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”

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Reflection:

What is this mercy that Jesus speaks about in our gospel today? This is an encompassing mercy, mercy that has no limitation and mercy that we truly give even to our enemies. Often times our mercy is selective we give mercy to those whom we thought deserves our mercy. But to those who we think doesn’t deserve our mercy we don’t.

The mercy of Jesus is an encompassing mercy. It’s for all of us regardless of how grave our sins are. It doesn’t discriminate and it’s always there available for us. We find this mercy of Jesus in the Sacrament of Reconciliation/Confession. Through the priest who acts in the person of Jesus we are able to receive this healing and merciful sacrament through the priest absolution of our sins.   

Are we taking advantage of this mercy of Jesus? It may be yes or no, the season of lent is the most opportune time for us to humbly submit to this healing and merciful sacrament. The moment we submit to confession we would feel that a big burden has been lifted off our backs.

One of the famous lines of the prayer of saint Francis states: It is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned. Perhaps one of his inspirations when he wrote this prayer is our gospel for today.

It is indeed true that it is through giving and through our generosity that we will receive more than what we’ve given.   It is in forgiving that we will be forgiven. Who does the giving back of the gifts that we’ve given? Who forgives us when we unconditionally forgive those who’ve hurt us? He is none other than Jesus himself.

Many of us are not aware of this anymore because we’ve already distanced ourselves from Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas