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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Today’s Gospel is a snippet of Jesus’ most popular sermon, known as the Sermon on the Mount.
In it, he not only re-interprets the law of the Old Testament; he also adds his own teachings.
For example, in the Old Testament, the Law stated, “Do to no one what you yourself dislike.” This is sometimes called the “Silver Rule,” because it tells you what not to do, instead of what you should do.
Jesus ratches the “Silver Rule” up a notch, commanding us to treat others the way that we want to be treated – the “Golden Rule.”
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Consider the difference.
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Instead of, “Don’t lie.”
“Tell the truth because you want others to be honest with you, as well.”
Instead of, “Don’t gossip.”
“Be affirming in your language towards others, because you also want them to affirm you.”
Instead of, “Don’t judge.”
“Look for the good in other people, because you also want them to focus on what is good in you.”
Instead of simply avoiding harm, do good to other people, even if you must go first.
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How do we live out the Golden Rule? In what ways can we do good for other people today?
“The measure with which you measure,” Jesus says, (or the good that you do), “will in turn be measured out to you.”
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Image credits: (1) Coffee and Carpool (2) Christian Publishing House Blog (3) Skeptic Ink
Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and do not be afraid.” And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone.
As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, “Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Have you heard the story of Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad?
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Harriet was born into slavery in 19th century America. After years of forced labor, she ran away from her captors, finding freedom in the North.
What makes her story so incredible is the fact that, after finding her own way to freedom, she turned around and spent the next 10 years of her life helping others to do the same.
Estimates are that Harriet led hundreds of people to freedom.
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By all accounts, the Underground Railroad was a dangerous journey. It took weeks to complete, because Harriet and her “passengers” as she called them, could only move at night under the cover of darkness out of fear of being caught – or worse, killed.
Throughout the perilous journey, everyone had to remain by Harriet’s side, because only Harriet knew the way.
At the end of her travels, she said, “I never lost a single passenger.” Everyone who followed her made it safely to the North.
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A similar journey is happening with Jesus and his disciples.
Just as Harriet promised to lead others to freedom, so Jesus promises to lead us to eternal life. And only he knows the way. As God the Father says to us in today’s Gospel, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”
Peter, James, and John will need this experience of the Transfiguration as they journey back down the mountain. What is about to happen will test their faith …
When Jesus enters Jerusalem and is arrested, beaten, and crucified, the disciples will become terribly discouraged. Their Master turned miracle worker will seem powerless.
But Jesus assures them, this is the way.
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Often in our own lives, our faith can be tested. We can question whether or not we are journeying on the right path. But so long as we remain close to the Lord, we are on the way.
As the LORD says through the prophet Isaiah, “I will lead the blind on their journey, by paths unknown I will guide them. I will turn darkness into light before them and make crooked ways straight.”
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So, if our path is leading to eternal life, then have you ever wondered what heaven is like?
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Today’s Gospel offers some precious clues.
Consider what Peter sees.
He not only sees Jesus. He also sees Moses and Elijah, prophets from the Old Testament who lived hundreds of years before him. Yet, somehow, they’re alive again, standing right in front of him, conversing with Jesus!
Peter can distinguish Moses from Elijah; each has a face, a body, and a name.
This vision reveals a marvelous truth: somehow, Moses and Elijah’s earthly identities remain intact in heaven. And by extension, so shall ours.
In heaven, we’ll have a name. A body. Memories from our earthly life. We’ll be recognizable by family and friends.
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Imagine that day when we’ll say with Saint Peter, “Master, it is good that we are here.”
This is the reason for our hope, and what should inspire us on our journey through Lent – the belief that just as every “passenger” who followed Harriet made it safely into the North, every person who follows Jesus will make it safely into heaven.
“This is my beloved Son,” God says to us today, “listen to him.”
Jesus said to his disciples: “I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.
“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, Raqa, will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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The Church is widely known for making distinctions. For example, there’s a difference between an angel and an archangel., good versus evil, a sinner versus a saint, or a venial sin versus a mortal sin.
A venial sin might involve harboring a slight grudge in our heart towards someone who has hurt us; a mortal sin would involve intentionally acting on that anger – say to the point of murder.
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While we are most likely not guilty of any mortal sin, we can commit venial sins all the time. The temptation is to brush them off, as if they are really not that big of a deal.
I’m angry at someone…. so what?
But the Gospel tells us that that grudge needs to be addressed, because no sin is permissible in heaven. “Whoever is angry with his brother,” Jesus says, “will be liable to judgment.”
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Given we are in the season of Lent, now is the perfect time for us to examine our conscience, to see where we may have failed to love – or where we can love others better.
For example, do I judge others? Do I gossip? Do I harbor anger or a grudge?
Even if we don’t act on these feelings, Jesus still wants to remove them from our hearts, especially through the sacrament of confession, because we cannot enter the kingdom of God with our hearts weighed down by negativity.
That is the challenge of discipleship: to forgive without limits and to love to a ridiculous level, just as Christ has loved us.
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Image credits: (1) Save Your City (2) Be Reconciled, In the Beginning, WordPress (3) QuoteAddicts.com
