March 17, 2025

Monday of the Second Week in Lent

Lectionary 230

Luke 6:36-38:

Meditation

Jesus has given us a model. The measure we measure with will be given back to us. Mercy and compassion must be the yardstick we use in calculating our daily behavior. What obligation do others have to be merciful, forgiving, and compassionate with us if we are unwilling to practice these virtues in their regard? Jesus puts his teaching plainly in today's gospel. "Stop judging, and you will not be judged."

Just as we expect our merciful God to look upon us with forgiving kindness, so should we treat others similarly. We cannot claim to love God and yet refuse to love others. We are encouraged to be people who make it possible for God to reach out to others through us and bring the compassion and understanding they need into their lives. The better we become, the more of God's goodness will others receive. In this way, we become unique vessels, carriers of God’s love to others.

Mary at La Salette was the carrier of good news. She was the messenger sent by God to exhort his children to take heed. She came to make us aware that prayer, penance, and reconciliation must remain an integral part of our everyday lives. Our Lady highlighted the mission confided to Maximin and Melanie when she repeated these words: "Well, my children, you will make this known to all my people." As a result, many men and women worldwide have found the message of La Salette to be a vessel of conversion, an opportunity for renewed commitment to Christ and the service of his people.