Daily Readings - Mon Feb 26 2018
Daniel
3And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:4And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;5We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:6Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.7O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee.8O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.9To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;10Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.
Luke
36Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.37Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:38Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured 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.