Tag: compassion

“If someone should rise from the dead.” | Thursday of the Second Week of Lent

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 16:19-31)

And [the rich man] cried out, “Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.” Abraham replied, “My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented.”

In this parable directed to the Pharisees, Jesus paints a stark contrast between the lives of two men: a rich man and a beggar named Lazarus. Lazarus, covered in sores, longs for the scraps discarded by the rich man. But after their deaths, their fates dramatically reverse. The rich man ends up in the netherworld, a place of torment, while Lazarus is carried by angels to the bosom of Abraham and exists in comfort and peace. The rich man, in his torment, sees Lazarus in the distance and calls out to Abraham for mercy, but Abraham explains that a great chasm separates them, making it impossible for Lazarus to help him. Abraham affirms that if the brothers of the rich man do not listen to the teachings already available to them—just as some who witnessed Christ’s resurrection are not persuaded—even a miraculous sign would not convince them. The reversal of fortune that the rich man experiences is a reminder that however great earthly wealth and status become, they count for nothing in one’s eternal destiny.

God, just as Lazarus lay at the door of the rich man unnoticed, opportunities large and small lie at my feet day after day, placed there by you, which I can choose to see or not see. The poverty that Lazarus experienced, though punishing to the body and to spirit, was nothing like the absolute state of destitution that the rich man experienced after death. Lord, give me the grace today—and whenever you present the opportunity to me—to recognize in the moment the need for compassion, justice, and attentiveness to your teachings. Teach me your mercy, Lord!

From the responsorial psalm: “Blessed are they who hope in the Lord. He is like a tree planted near running water, that yields its fruit in due season, and whose leaves never fade. Whatever he does, prospers.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Come, you who are blessed by my Father.” | Monday of the First Week of Lent

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 25:31-46)

“Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.”

Jesus speaks to the disciples about his second coming and the criteria for judgment. In his glory, the Son of Man will sit upon his throne, all the angels with him, and all the nations will be assembled before him. “And he will separate them one from another,” Jesus says, “as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” To the ones who showed mercy to the hungry and thirsty, to the stranger and the naked, to the ill and those in prison, the Lord will say to them: “Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” To the ones who failed to show mercy, the Lord will say: “Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.” Jesus makes clear beyond question how to treat others. In treating others with mercy, the person we care for, no matter their name, is Jesus: “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”

God, just as you spoke to the Israelites through Moses, you speak through Jesus, your final and best Word: “Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy.” In showing mercy to others, time after time I come to recognize my shortcomings and turn to Jesus as the perfect model of holiness. How much I need to recognize your mercy, Lord, as I do to others as I would have them do to me. Give me the grace, Lord, to be a brother, to have the opportunity to try again to be holy as you are holy. Show me today and help me see the face of Christ in those who need mercy.

From the responsorial psalm: “Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart find favor before you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“There is need of only one thing.” | Tuesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 10:38-42)

“Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

In today’s Gospel, Luke gives us a view into Jesus’ friendship with Martha and Mary. He tells us that Martha welcomes Jesus as he enters a village. Without Luke describing how, we see Jesus in the house of Martha and Mary. At that moment, Martha is burdened with much serving while Mary is “beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.” Where would Mary be without Martha? She has welcomed Jesus into her home and served him hospitably with food and drink. Because of this, Mary is able to give wholehearted attention to the words of the Lord. And where would Martha be without Mary? Although Martha is anxious and asks, “Lord, do you not care,” Mary holds up for her a fundamental choice—the better part. What is the one thing needed but to quiet yourself in the presence of the Lord?

God, I want to be in your presence today. Whether I am aware of you, I will go on with the day regardless, busy with many things and anxious to accomplish them. Martha, in her frustration, said, “Lord, do you not care?” Yet, that in itself is a prayer for your presence and an expression of need. When I forget you today, bring me back through your grace to recognize that I need you. Call me back, Lord, to sit at your feet and hear your voice. Help me remember today’s Gospel acclamation as a way to return to you again and again: “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”

From the responsorial psalm: “Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD. LORD, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to my voice in supplication. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?” Lord, hear my voice!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Monday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 10:25-37)

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” He said in reply, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

Today’s Gospel makes clear that the language God uses to speak to his people is mercy. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus illustrates for the scholar what it means to be a neighbor. First a priest and then a Levite approach a victim lying in the road, but they see the man and pass him on the opposite side. As models caretakers of worship and the Temple, they would be expected also to be model neighbors. Instead, a Samaritan helps the victim. In other passages in the Gospel, as when Jesus tries to pass through a Samaritan village to reach Jerusalem, the Samaritans are anything but welcoming, and Jesus finds another way to reach the city. In the same way, God’s mercy—if not expressed through his chosen people, the Israelites—finds another way through the love and care the Samaritan provides for the victim. What does cooperation with God’s grace do for our relationships with neighbors?

Father in heaven, eternal life seems far off, and here it is sometimes hard to love. Within the turmoil of this life, I forget to be loving or choose not to love. Yet, in this state of exile, you hear my prayer just as you heard the prayers of Jonah: “From the belly of the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD, his God.” And from the responsorial psalm, I hear: “Out of my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me; From the midst of the nether world I cried for help, and you heard my voice.” Hear me, Lord, as I encounter my neighbor many times over today and have the opportunity to show compassion in return as you have been compassionate to me. Where I tend to accuse, show me how to forgive; when I am tempted to wound with words, teach me to heal; and when I am inclined to deny who my neighbor is, help me instead be welcoming and merciful.

From the Gospel acclamation: “I give you a new commandment: love one another as I have loved you.” Lord, be merciful; help me show mercy in return.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Thursday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 18:21–19:1)

At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, “Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.” Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, “Pay back what you owe.” Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, “Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.” But he refused.

After Peter approaches Jesus and asks him how often he must forgive others, Jesus tells him not seven times but seventy-seven times. Then Jesus tells Peter the parable of the king settling accounts with his servants. The king, pitying his servant forgives him his debt, but that same servant encounters a fellow servant who owes him, and he refuses to forgive him. In today’s Gospel, Matthew conveys several teachings of Christ relating to forgiveness and mercy. Like the king, God forgives us our debt. By contrast, the threatening demand of the wicked servant—“Pay back what you owe.”—brings to mind grudges that are easily held onto for months and years. What does Jesus say to Peter about this except to forgive your brother from your heart?

God, help me learn at all times to love your merciful heart. Give me the grace I need to let go of grudges, which always result in separation from you. The burden of unforgiveness never fails to prevent me from conforming my heart perfectly to Jesus your Son. But your mercy, Lord, is boundless, and you invite me again and again to imitate you. “Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,” the king asks, “as I had pity on you?” Teach me to have mercy on others without counting the cost; never let it separate me from you.

From the Gospel acclamation: “Let your countenance shine upon your servant and teach me your statutes.” Make me a means of your mercy to others.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.