Reflecting the Divine

Gospel: Lk 6:36-38

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022624.cfm

Today’s gospel is both a call to action and a shifting of our perception of God and what it means to be human. The passage starts with Jesus saying that we should be merciful as God is merciful. It then describes additional behaviors we should take on: stop judging, stop condemning, forgive, and live generously (“for the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out for you”).

These behaviors for Jesus are the behaviors of God. This passage demonstrates how Jesus sees God. He understands God to be free of judgment, free of condemnation, full of mercy, full of forgiveness, and generous. With God there is abundance, with us and the separation we put between us and God, we create scarcity; scarcity for ourselves, for others, and for the rest of creation. The social dimensions and impacts of our sin go beyond what we may see on the surface. What we put into the world is what makes the world; not just for ourselves, but for all people and creation. We are all accountable for the world we live in. 

To make the Kingdom of God a reality, we must live the Kingdom of God. Living the Kingdom is contained in today’s gospel: show mercy, stop judging, stop condemning, forgive, and be generous. This is not about what we earn or what we deserve. It’s not an equation where good things will happen to me if I put good out there. Instead, it’s about making all of creation better. If we put good out there, good things will be out there. The more good we put out there, the more that that good will be perpetuated. While our sins have a social component, so does our goodness. If we all live according to this gospel, we would all live in abundance. 

What can you change or do today to be a ripple of good in the world?