The gospel for Monday of the second week of Lent is taken from Luke 6:36 to the 38th verse. Jesus said to his disciples, be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Stop judging, 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.

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. On the surface, it may seem that Jesus is just giving good advice about human nature. You know, if you’re nice to people, they’ll be nice to you. If you’re mean to people, they’ll be mean back to you. But at the heart of this is a revelation that is revolutionary.

It’s God making clear to the disciples the seed of what will come. And that seed is that we are in God, and God is in us, and everyone is in us, and we are in everyone. The whole thing that God has created is a oneness, a unity, a connection. And to believe in that, to know that it’s much more than just doing good in order to receive good. Please pause and reflect upon these images. And then I will close with a prayer.

Closing prayer Father, the world you’ve created is so awesome, so mystical, so mysterious. Open our eyes so that we see what is hidden. And when we long to see it, you will reveal it to us. And we ask for this gift in Jesus name, amen.