2nd week in Lent, Monday – 14th March 2022 — Gospel: Lk 6,36-38
Setting our Standards High
Jesus began his teaching with a telling phrase: just as. He invites us to be merciful, but not according to our own standards. He himself is that standard. For example, in the Old Testament, the chosen people reverted to make themselves as standard in their journey to the promised land. They constantly vacillated between following the Lord, who had chosen them and was teaching them to be his own, to looking for other gods that they could shape according to their own image. In the New Testament, we see this same tendency among the twelve apostles. The other ten were angry with James and John, for seeking seats of honour beside Jesus because the two brothers asked for it before they did (Mk 10,35). The standard that Jesus came to reveal puts our human tendencies in their place. God himself is the measure. We are not called to forgive just once or twice, but as God forgives us (Mt 18,2!). We are called to give, to measure out to others, with the very measure of God; not by judging others, which leads to condemnation, but with an open, generous heart that gives forgiveness and mercy.
