Gospel

Luke 6:36-38

Jesus said to his disciples:

"Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

"Stop judging and you will not be judged.

Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.

Forgive and you will be forgiven.

Give and gifts will be given to you;

a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing,

will be poured into your lap.

For the measure with which you measure

will in return be measured out to you.”

Reflection

I often wonder what the disciples thought because in this conversation with Jesus, he’s saying you have to be just like your father. You have to be like God. I can't imagine what that would have sounded like when they knew that God was so distant from them.

And their sins always separated them from God. But the beautiful message of Jesus is there's intimacy with ourselves in God. And when we can feel Him doing the things he longs to do, not judging, but rather forgiving and calling us into places of abundance, we will in turn be that way to each other. But it's interesting. First it happens to us, a gift to us, and then we understand

the beauty of what that might mean to someone else is we're called to give them a gift.

Closing Prayer

Father, we are to become like you. And we have to remember that when we are asked to do the things that you do, we can only do them through your power, through your presence within us. It's such a privilege to be an instrument of giving to others when the source is you. It gives us a sense of importance, a sense of meaning in our life. And we thank you for this work that you've given to us. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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