Our first reading today is a beautiful prayer from Daniel 9. Here Daniel confesses to the Lord for the entire people of their wickedness and sinfulness.
In our Gospel reading from Luke 6, Jesus says, "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." He then goes on to talk about judging, condemning, forgiving and giving.
Have you ever heard the saying, "We want judgment for everyone else, but mercy for ourselves." I think that's often true to some extent. And, truth be told, I have a mercy problem. I tend to be very hard on myself. This causes me to be hard on others, to be more inclined to judgment and blame than mercy. Jesus' words at the end of today's reading are a dire warning to me, and those like me. "For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you."
Father, help me to remember that most folks are just doing the best they can. Help me to be merciful, as you are merciful. Amen.
Parishes across North America will be giving away copies of A Minute in the Church this Easter. Get a set for your pastor so he can choose the one right for your parish at www.GusLloyd.com.
This really touched me deeply. As a child, my parents held us to a high standard of getting the A grades in school, working hard, all the good things all parents teach their children. But I realized that, like you, it has been a difficult journey for me to not push our children to be perfect, to accept and praise their accomplishments and to be merciful in forgiving their transgressions. Even though they are all adults with families, I still struggle with perfection in myself and them, which, can become being a obsessive behavior.
For Lent, I am really praying and working on this. Praying to be more like Christ and more merciful to myself and others. It means I bite my tongue and if need be, just listen. It means not being hard on myself too. A work in progress.
“I tend to be very hard on myself. " You and me both Gus!
This is what helped to change (still a work in progress!) – to some degree.
I was complaining to a close friend and mentor how a girlfriend expressed that “Your problem is that, because you hold yourself to ridiculous standards, that gives you the right to hold others to them.”
His response? Where can I send her flowers – AND a box of candy! Ouch!!
The benefit and the beauty of this is that I now have better relationships with others – and myself!
God bless!