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Lent - Week Five 2010
By Pat Lee | March 22, 2010
Monday : March 22, 2010
Readings: Susanna 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62 (note: Susanna– “Daniel rescues Susanna” is found in Apocryphal texts of Bible—; John 8:1-11
Scripture Verse: “Nor do I condemn you. You may go.” John 8:11
Reflection: The perfection that Jesus demands of his followers (Matthew 5:48) is being merciful as “your Father is merciful” Luke 6:36. Mercy is the essential condition for entering the kingdom of God. (Matthew 5:7). A merciful attitude and stance in life makes us like the Good Samaritan, like the father in the story of the Prodigal Son, like Jesus who raises the widow’s son and who forgives the woman caught in adultery. Mercy is acting with tenderness towards the hurt in others. When Jesus spoke of mercy, he echoed the Jewish tradition that when you extend mercy you become connected to the other.
Right after the story of the woman caught in adultery comes Jesus’ proclamation—“I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12). Mercy is the handle that opens the door to the light. Saint Patrick (whose day we acknowledged last week) is a person who understood this, He returned to the country where he was originally enslaved and extended to the people first mercy and then the gospel.
In Lent we are invited to look inside ourselves and see the parts of us that might be hard-hearted or holding a grudge. We are invited to ask God help us turn away from these attitudes and instead turn towards allowing mercy to affect our actions.
Topics: Lent |
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