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Preparation
O Lord, open our lips
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Hear our voice, O Lord, according to you faithful love,
according to your judgement give us life.
Blessed are you, God of compassion and mercy,
to you be praise and glory for ever.
In the darkness of our sin,
your light breaks forth like the dawn
and your healing springs up for deliverance.
As we rejoice in the gift of your saving help,
sustain us with your bountiful Spirit
and open our lips to sing your praise.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Blessed be God for ever.
Luke 6.36-38
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; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.’
Reflection
Jesus said: Be merciful … do not judge … do not condemn … forgive … give.
In today’s short reading from Luke’s gospel we hear Jesus setting out a route map for the Christian life. The signposts for the Christian journey are made explicit in these few words. We are being given the directions that will ultimately lead us into an eternity in God’s nearer presence. We are being told the essential qualities that need to become the core of our very being if we are to have a truly faithful relationship with God.
The qualities of mercy, acceptance, forgiveness and generosity lie at the heart of Jesus’ ‘new’ commandment to love others in the same way he has loved us. When we are confronted by cruelty, whether it be verbal or physical, we are called to be merciful and forgiving. When we witness the inhumane way in which some people treat others, we are called to set aside our desire to judge and condemn. When we see the desperate need of our less fortunate neighbours, we are called to respond with generosity.
Too often our first response when we are confronted with cruelty, inhumane behaviour and desperate need is to seek a way of blaming the victim for their own plight. We try to deflect our responsibility to respond in Christian love by telling ourselves that such people have brought their misfortune upon themselves. We display the exact opposite qualities to those listed by Jesus in today’s reading. In fact, we heap even more misery into the lives of the unfortunate victims whose condition we should be seeking to relieve.
Jesus’ words to us are not the idealistic teaching of someone who is disconnected with the reality of the human condition. Jesus lived the human life. Jesus himself showed mercy, acceptance, forgiveness and generosity throughout his ministry. Jesus welcomed sinners, healed the untouchables of first-century society, forgave those whose sins condemned them to a life on the outside and, in the generosity of his love, he fed the hungry and healed the sick. Jesus was the one who got down on his knees and performed the menial task of washing the feet of his disciples. Jesus was the one who gave his own life for the benefit of humanity. Jesus’ life was a demonstration of what it means to follow the route map we find in today’s reading.
Let us pray that we might set aside our human preferences and prejudices and follow the path of Christ as we share his Good News, and as we reflect his light in this dark world.
Prayers
In penitence and faith let us make our prayer to the Father
and ask for his mercy and grace.
For your holy people,
that they may triumph over evil and grow in grace,
we pray to you, O Lord.
For candidates for baptism and confirmation,
that they may live by every word that proceeds from your mouth,
we pray to you, O Lord.
For the leaders of the nations,
that you will guide them in the ways of mercy and truth,
we pray to you, O Lord.
For the needy,
that they may not be forgotten,
nor the hope of the poor be taken away,
we pray to you, O Lord.
For the sick in body, mind and spirit,
that they may know your power to heal,
we pray to you, O Lord.
For the poor in spirit,
that they may inherit the kingdom of heaven
and see you face to face,
we pray to you, O Lord.
Let us commend the world, for which Christ suffered,
to the mercy and protection of God.
Almighty God,
by the prayer and discipline of Lent
may we enter into the mystery of Christ’s sufferings,
and by following in his Way
come to share in his glory;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Christ give us grace to grow in holiness,
to deny ourselves,
take up our cross,
and follow him;
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among us and remain with us always.
Amen.