Lenten Commitment to: Do to others as you would have them do to you (Luke 6:31) and Examination - Monday of the Second Week of Lent

Today’s Scripture Readings (Daniel 9:4b-10; Psalm 79:8, 9, 11 and 13; 6:36-38) addresses our penance and God’s mercy. The Gospel Reading (Luke 6:36-38) is drawn from Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6:17-49), and the First Reading (Daniel 9:4b-10) is taken from Daniel’s prayer of repentance and seeking God’s mercy (Daniel 9:1-19).

In the Gospel Reading, Jesus teaches us four important things to live as Christians.

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful (Luke 6:36).

Stop judging and you will not be judged (Luke 6:37a).

Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven (Luke 6:37b).

Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap (Luke 6:38).

Jesus wants us to be merciful as the Father in heaven is. Jesus wants us to be non-judgemental to each other. Jesus wants us to be forgiving, rather than condemning, to each other. And Jesus wants to be giving to each other.

These are rather elaborations of what Jesus said in Luke 6:31:

Do to others as you would have them do to you.

And the above reflect Leviticus 19:13-18 – God’s commandments on caring and loving each other as we want others to care and love us.

So, what Jesus teaches in today’s Gospel Reading (Luke 6:36-38) leads to his Mandatum Novum (New Commandment):

Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:34-35).

How well do we love one another, our neighbors, as we love ourselves – as we want to be loved by them?

For this, how merciful and compassionate are we to one another, to our neighbors, especially those in need?

Are we as merciful and compassionate to our neighbors as the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)? How well are we merciful and compassionate to the least among us in terms of Matthew 25:31-46?

Are we really non-judgemental to others, to our neighbors? Or do we find ourselves quick to judge?

Why do we have to judge others?

How forgiving are we? How difficult is it to forgive?

Why do we find it difficult to forgive? Why do we hold grudge and condemn others?

How generous are we in giving? Do we expect returns?

These are some questions we need to answer to ourselves to hold ourselves accountable to Jesus’ commandments on mercifulness, non-judgement,  forgiveness, and giving or almsgiving in the Gospel Reading (Luke 6:36-38) drawn from his Sermon on the Mount.

We want God and others to treat us with mercy. We do not want God and others to judge us. We want God and others to forgive, not to condemn us. We want God and others to give us.

But, first and foremost, we must be the kind of people, by whom we want to be treated. And we must strive to be like God, whom we want to be merciful, non-judgemental, forgiving but not condemning, and giving to us. And, He is perfectly merciful, non-judgemental, forgiving, and generous in His giving, as we strive to perfect ourselves in these virtues.

We want God and others to be merciful to us. But, if we are not, we are sinful.

We want God and others to be non-judgemental to us. But, if we judge others, we are sinful.

We want God and others to be forgiving to our offenses. But we hold grudge and condemn others, we are sinful.

We want to receive from God and others. But, we are not giving to God and others, as we want to receive. Then, we are sinful.

We are sinful because we are selfish.

Remember the golden rule of Jesus: Do to others as you would have them do to you (Luke 6:31).

In the First Reading (Daniel 9:4b-10), we find Daniel expressing sincere repentance of the Israelites for their sinfulness.  He was not just asking God to forgive the Israelites out of His mercy. Note the way he prayed to God in the reading.

Daniel first acknowledge how great God is in His mercy, love, and faithfulness in His covenant, though the Israelites broke the covenant by disobeying His commandments (Daniel 9:4-6). Then he acknowledged His justice and compassion and expressed the regret and repentance (vv. 7-10). And Daniel’s humble and contrite acknowledgement of the sins of the Israelites goes on to v.15. Then, Daniel asks for God’s forgiveness (vv. 16-19), just as echoed in the Responsorial Psalm from Psalm 74, which is a communal prayer:

Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins (Psalm 103:10a).

Remember not against us the iniquities of the past; may your compassion quickly come to us, for we are brought very low.

 

The seeking of God’s forgiveness in Psalm 74 begins with the expression of contrition, acknowledging sinfulness (vv. 1-4).

 

Lent is a time of examination of our inner being – not just as our behaviors, as reflected in the way Jesus fulfills the Law (Matthew 5:17-48).  Therefore, we shall practice scrutiny on our inner being not only in light of today’s First Reading (Luke 6:36-38) but also Matthew 5:21-48, as well as Leviticus 19:13-18; Matthew 25:31-46; John 13:34-35 to make our Lenten compunctio cordis (repentance of heart) – metanoia genuine, not superficial.  And it is out natural consequence of this that we treat others as we want them to treat us.