Daily Reflection for Thursday, March 5, 2020
Peace and Blessings, Friends and Parishioners,
We encourage you to reflect on Thursday's readings at this link: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/030520.cfm
If you prefer to use your own Bible, the readings are:
First Reading: Esther 43:12, 14-16, 23-25
Responsorial: Psalm: 138:1-3, 7C-8
Gospel: Matthew 7:7-12
Our reflection on Thursday’s readings:
Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets. Matthew 7:12
The golden rule is a universal one. I have heard many versions of this rule. Each version using different words but never altering the meaning. As I reflect on the golden rule, I think about the consequences when it is not followed.
There have been plenty of times when I did not follow this rule. It seems each time I do not follow it, I pay the price for it. It is as if this rule has an energy field that, if followed, the energy works for me but when it is not followed, the energy moves against me. If I misjudged a person, the judgement come back on me. If I talk about someone in a negative way, someone talks negatively about me. It is a rule worth abiding as its positive returns are great.
This Lenten season, the golden rule is one I am spending my time on reflecting and following. I am trying to keep a journal tracking the way I treat others and also the way I treat myself, which I think it is also a big part of this rule. I’m not tracking how people treat me as I have no control of that. I am taking time to just focus on myself. By spending some time in self-care, my hope is that I can bring my full and whole self to others, which makes following the golden rule easier. When I feel good about myself, I treat others the way I want to be treated. Its energy is cyclical and always returns to its original starting place. I look forward to what this Lenten practice will reveal and how it will transform me and others around me.
May the golden rule be a source of transformation for you today,
Margarita Solis Deal