FEBRUARY 25, 2013 : MONDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK OF LENT

Monday of the Second Week in Lent
Lectionary: 230

Reading 1 Dn 9:4b-10

“Lord, great and awesome God,
you who keep your merciful covenant toward those who love you
and observe your commandments!
We have sinned, been wicked and done evil;
we have rebelled and departed from your commandments and your laws.
We have not obeyed your servants the prophets,
who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes,
our fathers, and all the people of the land.
Justice, O Lord, is on your side;
we are shamefaced even to this day:
we, the men of Judah, the residents of Jerusalem,
and all Israel, near and far,
in all the countries to which you have scattered them
because of their treachery toward you.
O LORD, we are shamefaced, like our kings, our princes, and our fathers,
for having sinned against you.
But yours, O Lord, our God, are compassion and forgiveness!
Yet we rebelled against you
and paid no heed to your command, O LORD, our God,
to live by the law you gave us through your servants the prophets.”

Responsorial Psalm Ps 79:8, 9, 11 and 13

R. (see 103:10a) Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.
Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;
may your compassion quickly come to us,
for we are brought very low.
R. Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.
Help us, O God our savior,
because of the glory of your name;
Deliver us and pardon our sins
for your name’s sake.
R. Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.
Let the prisoners’ sighing come before you;
with your great power free those doomed to death.
Then we, your people and the sheep of your pasture,
will give thanks to you forever;
through all generations we will declare your praise.
R. Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.

Gospel Lk 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.”

www.usccb.org

Meditation: "Forgive, and you will be forgiven"

Do you pray for God's mercy and pardon for yourself and for those you know who need his mercy? Do you promptly forgive those who wrong you, or do you allow resentment and ill-will to grow in your heart? Daniel was ‘shamefaced’ before God because he recognized that many of God's people had been unfaithful to God's commands and to his covenant with them (see Daniel 9:4-10). He acknowklowledged the sins and failings of his own people, and he pleaded with God for compassion and pardon. When we are confronted with our own sins and personal failings we experience guilt and shame. This can often either lead us to cast off pride and make-belief or it can lead us to lose our inhibitions and fall into more shameless deeds! If we are utterly honest and humble before God, we will admit our own sins and ask for his mercy and forgiveness. The Lord gives help and strength to those who choose to do what is right and to turn away from whatever would lead them into hurtful and sinful desires. Do you know the joy and freedom of heartfelt repentance, forgiveness, and a clean conscience?

What makes true disciples of Jesus Christ different from those who do not know the Lord Jesus and what makes Christianity distinct from any other religion? It is grace – treating others not as they deserve, but as God wishes them to be treated – with loving-kindness, forebearance, and mercy. God shows his goodness to the unjust as well as to the just. His love embraces saint and sinner alike. God always seeks what is best for each one of us and he teaches us to seek the greatest good of others, even those who hate and abuse us. Our love for others, even those who are ungrateful and unkind towards us, must be marked by the same kindness and mercy which God has shown to us. It is easier to show kindness and mercy when we can expect to benefit from doing so. How much harder when we can expect nothing in return. Our prayer for those who do us ill both breaks the power of revenge and releases the power of love to do good in the face of evil.

How can we possibly love those who cause us grief, ill-will, and harm? With God all things are possible. He gives power and grace to those who trust in his love and who seek his help and wisdom. The Lord is ready to work in and through us by his Holy Spirit, both to purify our minds and hearts and to guide us in choosing what is good and loving. Paul the Apostle reminds us that "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us" (Romans 5:5) God's love conquers all, even our hurts, injuries, fears, and prejudices. Only the cross of Jesus Christ and his victory over sin can free us from the tyranny of malice, hatred, revenge, and resentment, and give us the courage to overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21).  Such love and grace has power to heal, restore, and transform us into the image of Christ. Do you know the power of Christ's redeeming love and mercy?

"Lord Jesus, your love brings freedom, pardon, and joy. Transform my heart with your love that nothing may make me lose my temper, ruffle my peace, take away my joy, or make me bitter towards anyone."

www.dailyscripture.net

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25

LENTEN WEEKDAY
LUKE 6:36-38
(Daniel 9:4b-10; Psalm 79)
KEY VERSE: "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful" (v 36).
READING: In Matthew's gospel, Jesus told his followers that they must be "perfect" because God was perfect (Mt 5:48). This might be intimidating for all of us imperfect human beings. In Luke's gospel, instead of perfection, God's "mercy" is stressed (Hebrew, 'rachamim,'  common to the word 'rechem,' womb, the love of a mother toward her unborn child). The word 'mercy' appears over 250 times in the Old Testament and is usually translated as "loving kindness" (Hebrew, chesed). God's steadfast love was demonstrated by his covenant faithfulness with his chosen people. God�s provisions are limitless; God�s grace is endless; God�s love is boundless. God will shower down immeasurable blessings upon those who are gracious to others. God cannot be outdone in generosity. As long as we share the things that God has given to us, we will never lack what we need for ourselves. Jesus said that his loving Father will absolve our sins at the last judgment if we pardon the wrongdoings of others.
REFLECTING: Is there someone I need to forgive this Lent?
PRAYING: Loving Father, thank you for showing mercy and compassion to me, a sinner.

www.daily-word-of-life.com

 Lord, do not deal with us as our sins deserve

‘Be merciful just as your Father is merciful.’
We are called to a lofty vocation. In today’s gospel we are enjoined to strive towards treating others, both friends and enemies, without judgement or condemnation. Often our reactions to those we meet are glib and dismissive. In fact we are rarely truly present to others, but only half there.

Think of the dinner date with the mobile phone or half listening to someone with our mind elsewhere, the vague nod, the fleeting smile as we glance at our wristwatch and pass on. We are called to give our time and full attention the people in our lives, to show our love of God through our love of our neighbour, to replace our self-absorption with a whole-hearted concern for those in need of help.

Let us love God because God has first loved us.

www.churchresources.info

February 25
Blessed Sebastian of Aparicio
(1502-1600)

Sebastian’s roads and bridges connected many distant places. His final bridge-building was to help men and women recognize their God-given dignity and destiny.

Sebastian’s parents were Spanish peasants. At the age of 31 he sailed to Mexico, where he began working in the fields. Eventually he built roads to facilitate agricultural trading and other commerce. His 466-mile road from Mexico City to Zacatecas took 10 years to build and required careful negotiations with the indigenous peoples along the way.
In time Sebastian was a wealthy farmer and rancher. At the age of 60 he entered a virginal marriage. His wife’s motivation may have been a large inheritance; his was to provide a respectable life for a girl without even a modest marriage dowry. When his first wife died, he entered another virginal marriage for the same reason; his second wife also died young.
At the age of 72 Sebastian distributed his goods among the poor and entered the Franciscans as a brother. Assigned to the large (100-member) friary at Puebla de los Angeles south of Mexico City, Sebastian went out collecting alms for the friars for the next 25 years. His charity to all earned him the nickname "Angel of Mexico."
Sebastian was beatified in 1787 and is known as a patron of travelers.

Comment:

According to the Rule of St. Francis, the friars were to work for their daily bread. Sometimes, however, their work would not provide for their needs; for example, working with people suffering from leprosy brought little or no pay. In cases such as these, the friars were allowed to beg, always keeping in mind the admonition of Francis to let their good example commend them to the people. The life of the prayerful Sebastian, still hard at work in his 90's, certainly drew many closer to God.

Quote:

St. Francis once told his followers: "There is a contract between the world and the friars. The friars must give the world a good example; the world must provide for their needs. When they break faith and withdraw their good example, the world will withdraw its hand in a just censure" (2 Celano, #70).

www.americancatholic.org

Lectio: Luke 6,36-38

Lectio: 

Monday, February 25, 2013  

Lent Time

  

1) Opening prayer

Just and holy God,
our loving Father,
you offered us your hand in friendship
and you sent us your Son Jesus
to go with us the road
of obedience and loyalty.God, we often hurt this friendship,
we act as if we were not your sons and daughters.
See the look of shame on our faces.
Forgive us, for we count on you.
Accept our thanks
for continuing to take us as we are
and loving us notwithstanding our sins.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.

2) Gospel Reading - Luke 6, 36-38

'Be compassionate just as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap; because the standard you use will be the standard used for you.'

3) Reflection

• These three brief verses of today’s Gospel (Lk 6, 36-38) are the final part of a brief discourse of Jesus (Lk 6, 20-38). In the first part of his discourse, he addresses himself to the disciples (Lk 6, 20) and to the rich (Lk 6, 24) proclaiming four beatitudes for the disciples (Lk6, 20-23), and four curses for the rich (Lk 6, 20-26). In the second part, he addresses himself to all those who are listening (Lk 6, 27), that is, the immense crowd of poor and sick, who had come from all parts (Lk 6, 17-19). The words which he addresses to this people and to all of us are demanding and difficult: to love the enemy (Lk 6,27), not curse them (Lk 6, 28), offer the other cheek to the one who slaps you on one and do not complain if someone takes what is ours (Lk 6, 29). How can this difficult advice be understood? The explanation is given in the three verses of today’s Gospel, from which we draw the centre of the Good News brought by Jesus.

• Luke6, 36: Be merciful as your Heavenly Father is merciful. The Beatitudes for the disciples (Lk 6, 20-23) and the curses against the rich (Lk 6, 24-26) cannot be interpreted as an occasion for the poor to revenge against the rich. Jesus orders to have the contrary attitude. He says: “Love your enemies!” (Lk 6, 27). The change or the conversion which Jesus wants to bring about in us does not consist in merely turning something to invert the system because in this way nothing would change. He wants to change the system. The Novelty which Jesus wants to construct comes from the new experience that he has of God Father/Mother full of tenderness who accepts all, good and bad, who makes the sun shine on both the good and on the bad and makes the rain fall on both good and bad (Mt 5, 5,45). True love does not depend nor it can depend on what I receive from others. Love must want the good of the other independently of what he does for me. Because this is how God’s love is for us. He is merciful not only toward those who are good, but with all, even with the “ungrateful and the evil” Lk 6, 35). The disciples of Jesus should radiate this merciful love.

• Luke 6, 37-38: Do not judge and you will not be judged. These last words repeat in a clearer way what Jesus had said before: “Treat others as you would like them to treat you” (Lk 6, 31; cf. Mt 7, 12). If you do not want to be judged, do not judge! If you do not want to be condemned, do not condemn” If you want to be forgiven, forgive! If you want to receive a good measure, give this good measure to others! Do not wait for the other one to take the initiative, but you take it and begin now! And you will see that it is like this!.

4) Personal questions

• Lent is a time of conversion. Which is the conversion which today’s Gospel is asking of me?
• Have you already been merciful as the Heavenly Father is?

5) Concluding Prayer

Help us, God our Saviour,
for the glory of your name;
Yahweh, wipe away our sins,
rescue us for the sake of your name. (Ps 79,9)

www.ocarm.org