Daniel 9.4b-10 | Luke 6.36-38

We are in the second week of Lent.

Today the evangelist Luke speaks to us about mercy and judgment.

Jesus reminded His disciples that God the Father is merciful, telling them that they should also be merciful.

Referring to the Final Judgment, Jesus said that if people did not judge others, they would not be judged; if they did not condemn, they would not be condemned; if they forgave, they would be forgiven. If they gave, it would be given to them. Jesus concluded by saying that the Father would treat people as they had treated others.

Lent is a liturgical time of repentance and reconciliation. We are often harsh with those who fail us, holding grudges, distancing ourselves.

But we must remember that we are not perfect either. We also fail. And yet, we want the Father to be merciful to us. So, according to Jesus' teaching, in order to be forgiven by the Father, we must first forgive the faults of others.

Forgiving is not an easy task. But, helped by God's Grace, we can be merciful. Forgiveness is not a feeling, but a decision of the heart. Forgiving means stopping looking at the past and looking at the present and the future. Forgiveness frees. Forgiveness heals. Those who do not forgive imprison themselves and become ill. That is not worth it. Those who love themselves forgive others. Let us allow Jesus to help us forgive. Only God can judge, and even so, He does not judge, because He is busy loving and forgiving. Let us pray with the words of Jesus: "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us."

Today the prophet Daniel speaks to us of the mercy of the Lord God and the recognition of the sins, injustice and wickedness of the people. The prophet says that the people are left with shame, because they have turned away from the commandments and the law and rebelled against the Lord God, without listening to His servants, the prophets.

During this Lent, let us examine our conscience carefully to ask the Lord God for forgiveness for the serious or mortal sins we have committed, through the sacrament of Reconciliation, in the confessional, before an ordained minister, to receive the absolution of the Church. The sacrament of Reconciliation renews God's Grace within us so that we may resist the temptation of sin and advance in holiness.

Local: Springfield, MA, EUA

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