Monday - Second Week of Lent

Gospel – Luke 6:36-38

Mercy Me!

Spice Market, Jerusalem

If there is one upside to the mess and stress of these past 6 months, it’s that I continue to  sharpen (hopefully) and increase my baking skills.  Unfortunately my waist-line seems to have also proportionally increased as well; but that’s another story.

With some of my baked items, like my super-fudgy brownies, I’ve had to work with brown sugar.  Invariably the recipe calls for me to pour it in, pack it down, and repeat as often as necessary until you get a really full jam-packed cup of brown sugar.  I have to admit I am grateful that those directions aren’t used for flour.  Can you imagine the cloud I could create?  Anyway, the result is a lot of brown sugar, way more than I could have imagined.  You think you know how much you will use and then you get surprised at how much more there is when you keep packing it down- or how quickly you run out of brown sugar!

That is what today’s Gospel calls to mind when it talks about the mercy of God!  We think we know what that means but our vision of mercy falls far short of God’s abundant mercy.  He calls us to stop judging, to stop condemning; He calls us to forgive and be merciful.  And we will receive the same in abundance!

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.”

Not a simple cup of mercy (flour), but one packed down, filled and packed over and over again (brown sugar), more than we can possibly imagine!  Filled to overflowing!  That is His loving gift to us and His command – forgive and you will be forgiven, be merciful and you will receive mercy, in abundance, just like your Father! 

 

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