Daily Reflection for Monday March 01, 2021
Peace and Blessings, Friends and Parishioners,
We encourage you to reflect on Monday’s readings at this link:
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/030121.cfm
If you prefer to use your own Bible, the readings are:
First Reading: Daniel 9:4b-10
Responsorial: Psalm 79:8, 9, 11 and 13
Gospel: Luke 6:36-38
Our reflection on Monday’s readings:
Jesus said to his disciples: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Luke 6:36-37.
Be merciful, don’t judge, don’t condemn, and forgive.
I was once seduced by New Age mumbo jumbo. It started with a book by Emmet Fox called The Lord’s Prayer. As I continued to read his writings and the writings of others even more radical, I lost my way. I came to embrace the radical feminist view that God was a fiction created by men to justify the suppression of the superior feminine psyche. As previously stated, mumbo jumbo.
I cringe to remember some of the passionate arguments I put forth in support of my beliefs. As I sank deeper into darkness and further away from the light of Christ, I became increasingly depressed and despondent. One night, at my lowest point I thought, “I just wish I could believe in Jesus again.”
In his boundless mercy, he must have accepted that sincere desire as a prayer. Gradually, he restored my faith and proved the truth of his love and care by the changes I experienced in my life. Everything was put in order.
If you had met me then, I probably would have seemed like someone bound for hell. If you had met me then, you might think that I am still embracing those same beliefs. I hope that when people think of me, they do so with mercy and without judgment or condemnation. I hope I am forgiven for the stupid things I have said and done.
We would be wise to remember that everyone we encounter on our earthly journey is a work in progress. Whatever we see or know of another person is merely a snapshot of current spiritual growth. As the gospel song says, “God is not through with me yet.” God is always knocking on the door of our heart hoping for admittance and inviting us to walk with him.
Perhaps you can call to mind a cringe-worthy moment of your own that begs for mercy and forgiveness.
Until next time, God bless and keep you, my friends.
Melissa Kittrell