Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Stop judging and you will not be judged.
Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. (Lk 6:36-37b)
There are times that people wonder what happened, why did certain things happen to them the way they did, why did certain people turn a blind eye against them, et cetera. What these people do not often realize is that they have reaped what they had sown.
How can someone expect good from other people if they never are good to them? How can someone expect mercy when they are unforgiving, love when they refuse to love, care when they show not an ounce of care for others?
It is rather impossible to expect from others what one does not freely give to others.
Jesus reminds us that the same, in many ways, holds for God. God loves us and God cares for us. However, God is a just judge and if someone does not have mercy in his heart, mercy will not be shown to him. If someone lives their lives condemning others, that person should expect condemnation.
The message in today’s Gospel is quite clear: one reaps what one sows.
FAITH ACTION: Pray for those whose hearts are so hardened that they cannot find it within themselves to show mercy toward another.