Daily Readings - Mon Feb 26 2018

First Reading - Daniel 9.3, 4b-10

³And I set my face to the Lord, my God, to ask and make supplication with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes⁴And I prayed to the Lord, my God, and I confessed, and I said, "I beg you, O Lord God, great and terrible, preserving the covenant and mercy for those who love you and keep your commandments⁵We have sinned, we have committed iniquity, we acted impiously and have withdrawn, and we have turned aside from your commandments as well as your judgments⁶We have not obeyed your servants, the prophets, who have spoken in your name to our kings, our leaders, our fathers, and all the people of the land⁷To you, O Lord, is justice, but to us is confusion of face, just as it is on this day for the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and all Israel, for those who are near and those who are far off, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of their iniquities by which they have sinned against you⁸O Lord, to us belongs confusion of face: to our kings, our leaders, and our fathers, who have sinned⁹But to you, the Lord our God, is mercy and atonement, for we have withdrawn from you¹⁰and we have not listened to the voice of the Lord, our God, so as to walk in his law, which he established for us by his servants, the prophets

Gospel - Luke 6.36-38

Luke

Chapter 6

³⁶Therefore, be merciful, just as your Father is also merciful³⁷Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven³⁸Give, and it will be given to you: a good measure, pressed down and shaken together and overflowing, they will place upon your lap. Certainly, the same measure that you use to measure out, will be used to measure back to you again.

Sermon

In today’s readings, we encounter two powerful reflections on mercy, judgment, and the relationship between God and humanity. The first reading from Daniel is a heartfelt prayer of confession and repentance. Daniel acknowledges the sins of his people, humbly admitting their failure to obey God’s commandments and their rejection of the prophets’ warnings. He pleads for mercy, recognizing that justice belongs to God while confusion and shame belong to those who have sinned. This prayer is not just an admission of guilt but also an act of trust in God’s faithfulness and mercy. The Gospel reading from Luke shifts our focus to how we treat others. Jesus teaches that we are called to be merciful as our heavenly Father is merciful. He warns against judging or condemning others, emphasizing that the measure we use to judge will be the same measure used to judge us. This teaching is both a call to compassion and a reminder of the reciprocal nature of our actions. If we forgive and give generously, we will receive the same in return. Together, these readings invite us to reflect on the interconnectedness of mercy, judgment, and forgiveness. Daniel’s prayer reminds us that we must first acknowledge our own need for God’s mercy before we can extend it to others. Jesus’ words in the Gospel challenge us to live out this mercy in our daily interactions, avoiding the temptation to judge or withhold forgiveness. In a world often marked by division and criticism, these readings call us to a higher standard: to be people of compassion, humility, and generosity. May we strive to imitate God’s mercy, not only in our prayer but also in our actions, that we might create a ripple effect of kindness and grace in the lives of those around us.