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Lenten Weekday
Daniel 9:4B-10
Psalm 79:8, 9, 11 and 13
Luke 6:36-38
Summary
The first reading we confess that we are weak and yet we ask for our Lord to be
compassionate and to forgive us. The psalm echoes this theme in ˈLord do not
deal with us according to our sinsˉ. In the Gospel, Jesus tells us to be merciful.
Reflection
It is a very simple message stated very clearly: ˈStop 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 youˉˎ The Lord cannot make it any
easier for us, He tells us exactly what we should do and yet we choose not to
follow His simple plan. It is the ˈgolden ruleˉ; it is as simple as just being a good
person. Maybe it is too easy? Maybe we work better with bigger challenges, or at
least what we perceive to be bigger challenges.
This is how we let the mundane world creep into our lives and place a number of
things ahead of us just being a good person and doing what is right or just. In
following this path we allow ourselves to become distracted into actions that
bring us to a point of judging what others do compared to what we do. We con-
demn people for what we take as their inconsiderate actions, and we hold
grudges against people we deem to
have offended us. And rarely do we
give without expecting something in
return.
Often we attempt to acquire or accu-
mulate things to provide some sign
that we are successful or are accom-
plishing things. We do all of this as a
means of defining our self-worth. Fr.
Michael Fish, at our Parish Mission