Daily Readings - Mon Mar 06 2023
Daniel
3So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.4I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: "O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands,5we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws.6We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.7"Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame-the men of Judah and people of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you.8O LORD, we and our kings, our princes and our fathers are covered with shame because we have sinned against you.9The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him;10we have not obeyed the LORD our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets.
Luke
36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.37"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.38Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter two powerful expressions of humility and mercy. The first reading from Daniel is a heartfelt prayer of confession and repentance. Daniel acknowledges the sins of his people, taking responsibility not only for their failures but also for his own. He humbly recognizes that justice belongs to God, while confusion and shame belong to those who have turned away from His commandments. This prayer is not just an admission of guilt but a plea for mercy, trusting in God’s faithfulness and love. The context of this passage is a time of exile for the Israelites, a moment of deep sorrow and reflection. Daniel’s prayer reminds us that true repentance involves acknowledging our sins, taking responsibility, and trusting in God’s mercy.
In the Gospel, Jesus teaches us about the importance of living out God’s mercy in our daily lives. He says, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” This is not merely a suggestion but a call to imitate God’s very nature. Jesus emphasizes that our actions have consequences: the way we judge, forgive, and give to others will be the measure by which we are judged. This teaching is rooted in the idea that we are called to reflect God’s love and compassion in the world. If we are merciful, forgiving, and generous, we will experience the same in return. The context of this passage is Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain, where He outlines the characteristics of those who follow Him.
Both readings are connected by the theme of mercy and our response to God’s love. Daniel’s prayer shows us how to approach God with humility and trust, while Jesus’ teaching calls us to extend that same mercy to others. In our daily lives, this means letting go of judgment and instead choosing to forgive, to give freely, and to love without condition. It is a call to examine how we treat others and to reflect God’s mercy in our actions. As we strive to live this way, we are reminded that God’s mercy is not just something we receive but something we are called to share with the world. May we, like Daniel, turn to God with humble hearts, and may we, like Jesus teaches, be instruments of His mercy in the lives of those around us.