Today we are beginning the 1st day of March. We are also in the 2nd week of the Lenten spiritual journey on which we are earnestly invited to make amendments in our human and Christian way of living, loving God and our neighbors. Today’s liturgical readings remind us of God’s abundant and generous mercy. Despite our failures and sins, God is always faithful to His mercy and love for us.
Here I present for our reflections from “Catholic daily reflections” that says: “Saint Ignatius of Loyola, in his guide for a thirty-day retreat, has the retreatant spend the first week of the retreat focusing upon sin, judgment, death and hell. At first, this can seem very uninspiring. But the wisdom of this approach is that after a week of these meditations, retreatants come to a deep realization of just how much they need the mercy and forgiveness of God. They see their need more clearly, and a deep humility is fostered within their soul as they see their guilt and turn to God for His mercy.”
“But mercy goes both ways. It is part of the very essence of mercy that it can only be received if it is also given. In the Gospel passage (see the quotationbelow), Jesus gives us a very clear command about judgment, condemnation, mercy and forgiveness. Essentially, if we want mercy and forgiveness, then we must offer mercy and forgiveness. If we are judgmental and condemning, then we will also be judged and condemned. These words are very clear.”
“Perhaps one of the reasons why many people struggle with being judgmental and condemning of others is because they lack a true awareness of their own sin and their own need for forgiveness. We live in a world that often rationalizes sin and downplays the seriousness of it. That’s why the teaching of Saint Ignatius is so important for us today. We need to rekindle a sense of the seriousness of our sin. This is not done simply to create guilt and shame. It’s done to foster a desire for mercy and forgiveness” (from Catholic daily reflections).
Jesus said to his disciples: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge and you will not be judged. Do not condemn and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.”
May the words of Christ be real in our daily lives! Blessings. Fr. Mussie