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Gospel: Luke 6: 36-38
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.
Give and gifts will be given to you;
a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing,
will be poured into your lap.
For the measure with which you measure
will in return be measured out to you.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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If you have ever played a video game, then you know that there is always a series of levels.
The first level is the easiest, and the final level is the hardest. Sometimes it takes multiple tries before you succeed in beating that final level.
But if you do, then you’ve mastered the game.
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If Christianity were likened to a video game, then today’s Gospel would be part of that final level: stop judging; stop condemning; forgive without limit; love relentlessly.
If you can do these things, then you’ve mastered Christianity.
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Perhaps one of the most difficult steps is forgiveness.
What makes it so hard is the fact that, when we forgive, we forfeit the right to be angry with a person, waiving all opportunities to play passive aggressive; to weaponize our silence; to “win” an argument; or to seek revenge.
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But if we can do this – if we can love without limit and freely forgive – then we’ve mastered Christianity.
In the least, it’s worth a try. “For the measure with which you measure,” Jesus says, “will be measured out to you.”
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Image credits: (1) World Challenge (2) Mario Bros., Pinterest (3) Blog del Asistente de Bilingüismo