LENT REFLECTION
By Dc. Francis Mangeni
Lent – Monday of Second Week
Lk 6:36-38
Be Merciful
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.”
Our hearts are healed when we forgive. And when we share what we have with others, when we are empathetic towards others, understanding their situation.
1. Do to others as you would want them to do to you. Do good to others, avoid evil and avoid doing wrong to others. This is the golden Rule. Indeed, would you prefer that people be good to you, or be bad to you? Using our common sense, we should treat others just as we would like them to treat us. When we don’t, we will know deep in our hearts that we are doing wrong. It’s a pathology, a mental illness or condition, to do wrong to others. We are wired to do good, to love. And when we hate, we act contrary to our nature. And when we act contrary to our nature, we experience disharmony, anguish, and unhappiness. On the other hand, when we act according to our nature as created to love and be loved, to do good, to praise and celebrate God, we experience deep peace and joy, and friendship with God and His creation.
2. God has written His Law in our hearts (Jn 14:26, Rom 2:15, Ez 36:26, Jer 31:33). In so far as they seek their perfection, all things ultimately seek God, as St Thomas Aquinas said. God is the source of the perfection we seek, the good we seek. We find it only in Him. We are made in God’s image. What our Lord is by nature, we are by adoption. We are to be born in heaven, by fully accepting God through a continuous total conversion (Jn 3:3-6).
3. In our daily lives, this means being merciful to others, not judging and not condemning others. It means forgiving others. And it means having a loving and giving disposition.
4. Families and communities with people who are merciful, who do not judge and do not condemn, who are giving, who give and give generously, are happy families and communities. This is God’s plan for us as His creation. It’s sin, our disobedience, that causes unhappiness – when we act contrary to our nature – by not being merciful, by judging and condemning others, by not giving to those in need, and above all, by not forgiving others.
5. How about you try out something – today, in humble prayer, asking for God’s help, take a decision to forgive everyone everything, and having taken that decision, decide that it’s irreversible, and over the coming days, whenever a vengeful or hateful thought crops up, immediately pray for that person and pray for yourself at once. For example, Loving God, please forgive him/her for what he/she did, remembering Jesus’s prayer on the cross for those who crucified Him. For example, O Lord come to my help, O Lord make haste to help me. O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner. And slowly say the Lord’s prayer, in your mind praying it together with everyone on earth, focusing on God’s love for you and all humankind as His beloved family.
6. And when you feel sad or low, drained, unmotivated, when you feel hated or treated unfairly, give a little present to someone, give alms, offer someone a smile, offer someone a genuinely happy greeting wishing them well. And take a moment to pray.