Monday - Second Week of Lent

Gospel – Luke 6:36-38

Mercy Me!

Spice Market, Jerusalem

Now that spring is rapidly approaching, 70 degrees later this week, I am hoping to reacquaint myself with baking some goodies!  Need I say more?

With some of my baked items, 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 cup of brown sugar.  That results in 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.

That’s 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, but one packed down, filled and packed down over and over again, 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!