Just As

I’m not a baker by any means, but I do watch The Great British Baking Show religiously which pretty much makes me an expert (from my couch), not to mention how much more refined and regal I’ve become just by being in the presence of refined and regal British people (from my couch). There’s this thing that bakers do when measuring flour. They fill their measuring cup with the flour and then pat it down in there so more can be added to fill the cup to the very top with as much flour as possible. I have no idea why this is important, but something in the packing it down and filling it to the brim gives the maximum measure of flour for whatever dough or batter is being created. Flour is so fine that it can be really smushed down in there tightly to the baker’s liking. Now, apparently not every recipe requires this patting down the flour technique, but in today’s gospel Jesus uses a similar image to help us understand how God’s mercy is measured in our lives. 

Jesus said to his disciples, “Be merciful, JUST AS your Father is merciful.” He doesn’t say, “to best of your ability” or “when you are having a good day” or “when you’re in the right season of life” or “after you’ve worked out all of your issues” or “as close as you can to the Father’s mercy”…no, he definitely says, “JUST AS your Father is merciful.” Then Jesus proceeds to tell them and us what ingredients are included in the Father’s mercy: no judgment, no condemnation, forgiveness, and giving abundant gifts. I feel like it is safe to say that the opposite of these things comes from the enemy. If there is judgment, condemnation, unforgiveness, and a withholding of gifts according to these things, that is NOT from God. Uh oh. This is when I always do a self-check and I tend to cringe because I realize the times when I have judged, condemned, not forgiven, and withheld love from those that I deem unworthy of mercy. The very definition of mercy is “compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm.” Mercy is only mercy if the recipient is guilty of something that deserves punishment. 

I feel like the sequence of said mercy components is also important to look at: 1. Don’t judge. How many times have a led off with judgment when I am offended? I immediately go to a definition of someone’s character based on their actions and then everything else stems from that judgment. 2. Don’t condemn. After I’ve judged them from my own offended ego, I go straight to determining how they should be punished for what they’ve done. 3. Once I’ve judged them as less than, and decided upon their punishment, I also get to not forgive them for what they’ve done, because what they’ve done deserves punishment, and somehow my forgiveness states that they should be let off the hook or not held accountable. 4. It is my right as an offended/hurt person to withhold loving this person until their punishment has been fully exercised and I get to say things like, “I’ll forgive you, but I won’t ever forget what you’ve done.” Sigh. It’s really hard to digest my own mercilessness. 

Here is how Jesus tells us to be merciful just as the 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 only way for us to learn these is to spend time in His presence. We can learn so much from time on the couch with Him. We can focus on the gifts that have been poured into our lap when we spend some lap time with the Father. This is where mercy is shaken down and packed together into our souls so that we overflow with grace to go out and do the same for others. Mercy, like flour, is so fine that it can be really smushed into our hearts as a way to maximize the measure of it to be poured out into others. The more we pour it out, the more capacity we have to receive it and I don’t know about you, but I need all the mercy I can get. Mercy means no judgment, no condemnation, forgiveness, and overflowing gifts. Let’s be “just as” today and perhaps we might just become refined and regal in the process. It is well with my soul. 

Reading 1 DN 9:4B-10

"Lord, great and awesome God,
you who keep your merciful covenant toward those who love you
and observe your commandments!
We have sinned, been wicked and done evil;
we have rebelled and departed from your commandments and your laws.
We have not obeyed your servants the prophets,
who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes,
our fathers, and all the people of the land.
Justice, O Lord, is on your side;
we are shamefaced even to this day:
we, the men of Judah, the residents of Jerusalem,
and all Israel, near and far,
in all the countries to which you have scattered them
because of their treachery toward you.
O LORD, we are shamefaced, like our kings, our princes, and our fathers,
for having sinned against you.
But yours, O Lord, our God, are compassion and forgiveness!
Yet we rebelled against you
and paid no heed to your command, O LORD, our God,
to live by the law you gave us through your servants the prophets."

Responsorial PsalmPS 79:8, 9, 11 AND 13

R. (see 103:10a)  Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.
Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;
may your compassion quickly come to us,
for we are brought very low.
R. Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.
Help us, O God our savior,
because of the glory of your name;
Deliver us and pardon our sins
for your name’s sake.
R. Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.
Let the prisoners’ sighing come before you;
with your great power free those doomed to death.
Then we, your people and the sheep of your pasture,
will give thanks to you forever;
through all generations we will declare your praise.
R. Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.

Verse Before The Gospel See JN 6:63C, 68C

Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life;
you have the words of everlasting life.

Gospel LK 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."