Luke 6:36-38 NRSVue
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, running over, will be put into your lap, for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”
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Reflection on Luke 6:36-38
Inspiration from 2024-02-26 Daily Prayer
Luke’s Gospel is sometimes known as the Gospel of Mercy, revealing a compassionate God who wants us to have the same care and compassion in our earthly relationships as He has for us. Lord, you are merciful to us and we pray that we may be tolerant and patient with the failings of others, and with our own, just as you are with ours.
It is easy to fall into judgment and condemnation of those who seem to fall short of our standards. May we have a humble stance towards others that acknowledges our own limitations and shortcomings, so that we are more understanding of others. May we also remember that how we treat others is how we will experience how others treat us – if we are loving to others, we are more likely to experience the world as a loving place, and vice versa. It is a great spiritual truth, as stated in the Gospels, that what we give, we receive, and the more we give, the more we will receive.
Further reflection
Can I remember times when I heard people gossip about me, with no understanding of why I behaved as I did? Can I remember times when I leapt to judge others without knowing the whys and wherefores? Remember the Sioux prayer: /May I never judge another until I have walked in his moccasins/. Good newspapers offer us information without judgments. Shoddy papers try to do our thinking for us, leap to take sides, and express their judgments in banner headlines.
Lord, keep me from jumping to judgment. You alone know all that is my heart and in the hearts of those I am tempted to condemn.
We get from life what we put into it. The challenge of Jesus is more – to be merciful is to live in a way that makes the first move towards forgiveness, that is, to be non-judgemental of others and to always want to give. Mercy doesn’t count what it gives nor look for anything in return. Mercy is the heart of God’s love. Allow the word ‘mercy’ enter into your heart at prayer; just repeat it and let it move from lips to heart. As mercy takes hold of you, you will live by it.