IMAGE OF MERCIFUL GOD– 02/20/22 (Sunday)

Luke 6:27-28,36-37

27 "But I say to you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.

36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. 37 "Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;

For the full readings, click here: 

https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/daily-readings

Blessed Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time! The gospel reading for today provides many examples of acts of love and mercy that are truly difficult to practice in our daily lives. To understand the importance of being merciful with others, we need to reflect upon our identity in the eyes of God. Who are we? We are people whom He created in His image. He designed us with a purpose of being united with Him forever in His infinite love. However, we have committed sins that offend our Lord and keep us away from Him. And yet, He looks past our sins. Even though He recognizes our impurities and imperfections, He still sees the beauty of our souls if we are transformed by His graces. Even if our sins wound the Sacred Heart of Christ, Jesus offers Himself as a Sacrifice for us, and He grants us the gift of forgiveness on the cross. He sees the illnesses and wounds of our hearts, and He desires to heal us even more with His mercy. 

It's true that many people offend us and harm us with their faults. We should never invalidate our feelings. The sins that other people committed against us deepened the wounds of our hearts. However, our wounds can only be healed if we truly forgive them, especially in our prayers, by the grace of God. Our Lord is calling us to see them past their sins, to see that they are also created in the image of our Merciful God like us. They may also be wounded by the offenses of other people making them more inclined to bad behaviors. Because they are spiritually ill and wounded, they are also in need of God's mercy whether they are aware of it or not. The pain that we experience from the faults of our neighbors may be an indication of the need for Christ's healing mercy, not just for ourselves, but for others through our prayers. 

Let us reflect upon the image of Jesus Christ, our Merciful God and Savior. Do we imitate Him by loving all of our neighbors and forgiving our enemies? How do we treat people who caused us harm in the past? If we find it difficult to follow His commandments, there may still be some wounds in our hearts that need to be healed. Let us repent of our sins and ask for God's forgiveness. May we also seek the strength from our Lord to forgive our enemies. After Jesus granted us the gift of forgiveness from the Cross, He rose from physical death, and He ascended to heaven. If we forgive others and pray for their conversion, we will be raised from our spiritual death, and we can have the hope of entering heaven. 

Amen +

 

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic