Overflowing

Monday of the Second Weekof Lent (St. Patrick’s Day)

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!  Deuteronomy 9:8-9A

“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.”  Luke 6:38

Piety

Father, give us a lesson in your perfect mercy.  You do not give us the punishment we deserve.  So help us to meet our friends and neighbors and enemies with the same measured deliberation that you employ.  Help us to think earnestly of your goodness when we give into temptation and judge others.  When being judged, we may look for mercy as we have handed out mercy.

Study

Let us pray that there is no correspondence between our conduct toward others and God’s conduct toward us.  But rather let us meet the metaphor of measurement and hopefully measure up.  “A good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap.” Such an image of abundance is a sign of hope.

God has for us a good measure of compassion and forgiveness.  He will not reach into his sack of forgiveness and come up with a partial measure.  Instead, he will pull out some, tamp it down and add some more forgiveness tightly packed before dumping it – over flowingly – into our laps.  The Lord does so in order that we will “walk in his ways” and do the same to others.

Action

Usually St. Patrick’s Day is reserved for excess.  Excess green dye.  Excess green beer.  Excess green bagels or donuts.  But today, we are asked to indulge in excess forgiveness.  Seek such from and grant such to those around you.