Monday of the Second Week of Lent - 2012
WIth these words from Jesus, we come to the end of the selections taken from the Sermon on the Mount. Remember that these directives from Jesus were and continue to be his advice to each of us today in our world as well as those who were seated on a hillside listen to what Jesus was teach.
Taken seriously, reflectively considered, Jesus' words were not sugar-coated placibos. Dealing with God and with each other were in the eyes and heart of Jeus serious business. Why? Because he wanted us to see in them how he lived and what would be expected of us if we are to honestly strive to be his disciple.
What Jesus is stating without any hesitation or doubt in these few words of the gospel today is this: we must incorporate the way Jesus dealt with others in the manner with which we deal with others. Can we be as merciful as the Father? That is what Jesus asks of us. Just as God fills our lives with the gifts of mercy, understanding and lvoe, so too each of us is called by God the Father and Jesus extend their love and mercy to others.
We know from what Jesus has taught us that God will care for us in the same way that we reach out to care for others. We cannot be stingy with the care that we extend to others. God never holds back in his giving his graces to us. When you feel that God is holding graces from you ... slow and carefully examine your life to see where you might be holding gifts that you can share with others.
