First Reading: (Daniel 9:4–10)
Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 79)
Response: O Lord, do not treat us according to our sins.
Alleluia: Your words, Lord, are spirit and life; You have the words of everlasting life.
Gospel: (Luke 6:36–38)
Reflection:
Today is the first Monday of the month of March and also the Second Week of Lent. The Gospel reading is one of those challenging ones for us-judgment. It presents five clear maxims for our Lenten journey, and for life itself:
Compassion
Forgiveness
Charity
Avoid judging
Avoid condemning
1. Compassion- “Be merciful as your Father is merciful.”
Another word for compassion is mercy. To be compassionate is to have a soft heart,a “sorry heart”, a heart that feels for others and is moved by their suffering.
Jesus is compassionate toward us. When we cry, He listens. When we suffer, He feels our pain. When He saw the hungry crowd, He was moved with compassion and fed them. Mercy makes us truly human.
Some people see suffering and remain unmoved. They lack compassion. A hardened heart can watch tears without feeling anything. Worse still, some even enjoy the suffering of others. When compassion is lost, relationships become cold and cruel.
Lent calls us to examine our hearts:
Are we moved when others suffer?
Do we ease pain or cause it?
Do we have a heart of stone or a heart like God’s?
2. Forgiveness-“Forgive and you will be forgiven.”
Forgiveness flows from compassion. A compassionate heart does not hold grudges.
We forgive:
Not because the offender deserves it.
Not because we are not hurt.
Not because we have fully healed.
But because we ourselves need forgiveness.
If God were to treat us strictly according to our sins, where would we be? If He refused to forgive us, we would be lost. But He forgives because He is compassionate. Therefore, we must forgive others.
A heart without mercy waits for revenge. A merciful heart lets go.
3. Charity-“Give and it will be given to you.”
Charity is sharing.
Giving water to the thirsty.
Food to the hungry.
Clothing to the naked.
Visiting the sick or imprisoned.
Welcoming the stranger.
Charity is not about having abundance. It is about willingness.
Some say, “What do I have to share?” But sharing is not about how much you have. It is about the readiness to give, even from little. Some have much and give nothing. Others have little and still share.
That is why the Church encourages Lenten fasting-so that what we deny ourselves, we can give to others.
Ask yourself:
Who has benefited from your generosity?
How many people have experienced your charity this Lent?
4. Do Not Judge
This is very challenging. The first thing most of us do when you see someone differrent from us is to judge them. But all we do is we see the outside. God sees the heart.
Our judgments are limited and often faulty because we do not know the full story. We read covers and assume we know the book. But only God knows the interior and the content.
To judge is to analyze and pass commentary:
“Why did he do that?”
“How could she?”
Scripture warns us against this attitude. God alone is the true judge.
5. Do Not Condemn
Condemnation goes further. It passes a final sentence:
“He is a bad person.”
“She will never change.”
“She will go to hell.”
That is assuming God’s role.
Those who judge and condemn often see themselves as holier than others. But how often do we offend God in just one day? Yet He gives us second chances, third chances, fourth and fifth chances.
If God does not condemn us, who are we to condemn others?
Conclusion
The Gospel today invites us to:
Have compassionate hearts.
Forgive freely.
Give generously.
Refuse to judge.
Refuse to condemn.
If we live this way, God will not judge us. He will not condemn us. He will show us the same mercy we show to others.
Happy new week.
We should make it a point of duty, an assignment, not to pass judgment on others.
We are not God, therefore we should leave judgment for Him.
Amen.
God bless you 🙏
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