Monday of 2nd Week in Lent

 

The Sinner Seeks Forgiveness

 

Introduction

Acknowledging sin, being sorry for it and seeking forgiveness is a reality that can only exist where there is genuine friendship and the awareness that this friendship has been hurt or even destroyed. Without friendship with God and with people, sin remains only a thing to be wiped off, sorrow is little more than a superficial regretting of something that should not have happened, and forgiveness is erasing the past. Sin, sorrow, pardon are to be seen in the light of the covenant relationship with a merciful God, who loved us first, and with our neighbor, with whom we are taken up in this union of life and love with God.

 

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.

 

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 79:8, 9, 11 AND 13

(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.

 

Alleluia Jn 6:63C, 68C

Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life;
you have the words of everlasting life.

 

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.”

 

Intercessions

–          That each of us may have the courage to say, “Sorry, I am wrong, forgive me,” not only to God when we have sinned but also to people we have hurt, we pray:

–          That we may never gloss over any evil but voice our disapproval without condemning the wrongdoer, we pray:

–          That we may not pay back evil with evil but listen to the Spirit who wants us to pay back evil with good, we pray:

 

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God, in this Eucharist
your Son Jesus comes among us
to bring us your pardon and peace.
Remind us of what he went through for us,
that we may be converted to you
and be your holy people,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
your forgiving love is without measure.
May our hearts become as large as yours,
that we too may learn to forgive one another,
and stop from judging and condemning.
May we too take people as they are
and continue offering our friendship
even when it is abused,
by the strength of him
who has given himself to us in this Eucharist,
Jesus Christ, our Lord.

 

Blessing

“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Words to remember and to practice, with the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the holy Spirit.

 

Commentary

God Is Mercy

In the book The Name of God Is Mercy, Pope Francis emphatically states thus: “Mercy is the first attribute of God. The name of God is mercy.” In the context of today’s gospel, we listen to Pope Francis:

 “I believe that this is a time for mercy. The Church is showing her maternal side, her motherly face, to a humanity that is wounded. She does not wait for the wounded to knock on her doors, she looks for them on the streets, she gathers them in, she embraces them, she takes care of them, she makes them feel loved. And so, as I said, and I am ever more convinced of it, this is a kairós, our era is a kairós of mercy, an opportune time…. Etymologically, ‘mercy’ derives from misericordis, which means opening one’s heart to wretchedness. And immediately we go to the Lord: mercy is the divine attitude which embraces, it is God’s giving himself to us, accepting us, and bowing to forgive.”

Reflection taken from Bible Diary 2022;

written by Fr.Paulson Velyannoor, CMF