Monday of the
Second Week of Lent
(Daniel 9:4b-10; Luke 6:36-38)
The man gives God thanks every day. When he was a youth, he was always in
trouble. He couldn’t stay out of
fights. He was convicted of assault and
battery as well as using drugs. He did a
couple of prison terms and was facing a thirty-five year sentence. Then he was shown mercy. He credits God, but certainly a judge had
something to do with his being given another chance. In this case the risk proved imminently worthwhile. The man has turned his life around, married
and is raising a family, has a small prosperous business, and is giving back to
God as a youth minister. Jesus recommends
such mercy in today’s gospel.
When Jesus says that his disciples should not judge, he
does not mean that they wear rose-colored glasses. No, they are to determine right from wrong,
but they are not to condemn others unduly.
Quite the opposite, they should be ready to forgive for any good reason. Jesus
then promises that their mercy will be rewarded not just in kind but with greater
abundance.
It is sometimes difficult to forgive because we see it as
a betrayal of justice. Jesus would
certainly agree that mercy without justice leads to dissolution just as
strictness without justice can end in despotism. As responsible people, we must promote and
model righteous living. We do that by forgiving
whenever we sense a reasonable possibility for reform and renewal.
