Monday March 14, 2022

Monday of 2nd Week in Lent

 

The Sinner Seeks Forgiveness

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.

 

First Reading: Daniel 9:4-12 

 “Darius, son of Ahasuerus, born a Mede, became king over the land of Babylon. In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, was meditating on the Scriptures that gave, according to the Word of God to the prophet Jeremiah, the number of years that Jerusalem had to lie in ruins, namely, seventy. I turned to the Master God, asking for an answer—praying earnestly, fasting from meals, wearing rough penitential burlap, and kneeling in the ashes. I poured out my heart, baring my soul to God, my God:

 “‘O Master, great and august God. You never waver in your covenant commitment, never give up on those who love you and do what you say. Yet we have sinned in every way imaginable. We’ve done evil things, rebelled, dodged and taken detours around your clearly marked paths. We’ve turned a deaf ear to your servants the prophets, who preached your Word to our kings and leaders, our parents, and all the people in the land. You have done everything right, Master, but all we have to show for our lives is guilt and shame, the whole lot of us—people of Judah, citizens of Jerusalem, Israel at home and Israel in exile in all the places we’ve been banished to because of our betrayal of you. Oh yes, God, we’ve been exposed in our shame, all of us—our kings, leaders, parents—before the whole world. And deservedly so, because of our sin.

 “‘Compassion is our only hope, the compassion of you, the Master, our God, since in our rebellion we’ve forfeited our rights. We paid no attention to you when you told us how to live, the clear teaching that came through your servants the prophets. All of us in Israel ignored what you said. We defied your instructions and did what we pleased. And now we’re paying for it: The solemn curse written out plainly in the revelation to God’s servant Moses is now doing its work among us, the wages of our sin against you. You did to us and our rulers what you said you would do: You brought this catastrophic disaster on us, the worst disaster on record—and in Jerusalem!

 

Gospel: Luke 6:36-38 

 “I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You’ll never—I promise—regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we’re at our worst. Our Father is kind; you be kind.

 “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.”

 

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. Amen.

 

Reflection:

Be Generous because you have a generous Father

Imagine God’s mercy as a blank cash cheque with your name written on it and the account never runs out of cash. The more of God’s mercy you share with others, the more mercy will be shared with you. It is up to you decide how much you want to draw with the cheque.

Pope Francis says: “Loving our enemies, those who persecute us and make us suffer, is difficult, it is not even a“ good business ”, or at least it is not the logic of the world. However, it is the path that Jesus travelled to conquer the grace that makes us rich ”.

The cliché of ‘glass half empty’ or ‘glass half full’ is directly applicable for today’s Gospel. For the one who regards the Gospel as new set of commandments – it is all about rules and regulations: Be merciful, Stop judging; stop condemning, forgive and give. There you see the glass half empty. The modern man do not appreciate someone commands him to do things. But the gospel does not stop with regulations. On the other hand it is a set of promises. These promises are as attractive as a blank cash-cheque, provided we accept the project of life that Jesus proposes. Here is what the blank cheque offers: You will not be judged; nor will you be condemned; you will be forgiven of your sins, and God will bless you with unlimited fortunes!

How can we operate this account? The Word of God says, start by forgiving others. are there people who annoy you? Be merciful by practicing patience with them. Can I think of someone who is lonely or hurt? Can I spare some time to talk to them and to be with them? Have you ever noticed your elderly neighbour for whom it is hard to come out to the market to buy groceries? Bishop Stephen Chow of Hong Kong in his weekly Lenten message was particularly calling on the faithful to pay attention to our elderly or sick neighbours in this time of Covid. The pandemic has created fear in our minds, it is hard time for the elderly and the poor, fighting anxieties and loneliness. In this Lent, the Lord reminds us of our responsibilities to be generous because we have a Father who is super-generous.

How often do I share the workload with my parents or spouse or siblings at home and be merciful by helping them? Mercy is a gift God gives us to share with others. Share it today and your reward will be great! Jesus, help me be merciful today

 

Video available on Youtube: Be Generous because you have a generous Father