Lent - Day Thirteen - To Forgive Is To Give to Ones Self

Gospel	Luke 6:36-38 ©

Grant pardon, and you will be pardoned

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged yourselves; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned yourselves; grant pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap; because the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given back.’

It was a cool day in the desert.  I do not think that the temperature rose to above one hundred and two, ten degrees cooler than yesterday!  Now I know what a round steak feels like in a slow cooker. Today the Master pointed out the fairness of God the Father. He showed that we will receive exactly what we give.  In other words, if I hold a fault against you and offer you no forgiveness, then if I stand before God, my faults will receive the same attention as I gave to you, my brother.  The Master seems to be emphasizing mercy in our walk through life.   It kind of makes sense.  We are all made of the same substance, we all have the same nature, we all have the same Father who will forgive us of any fault and in the same measure as we have forgiven others.  The Master said, "Forgive, and you will be forgiven."  He left the negative aspect of this statement unsaid but we all understood.