Read and listen to the Word of March 6, 2023

Summary

Monday of the second week of Lent

First Reading

We have sinned and acted wickedly.

From the book of the prophet Daniel
Dn 9.4b-10

«Signore God, grande e tremendo, che sei fedele all’alleanza e benevolo verso coloro che ti amano e osservano i tuoi comandamenti, abbiamo peccato e abbiamo operato da malvagi e da empi, siamo stati ribelli, ci siamo allontanati dai tuoi comandamenti e dalle tue leggi! Non abbiamo obbedito ai tuoi servi, i profeti, i quali nel tuo nome hanno parlato ai nostri re, ai nostri prìncipi, ai nostri padri e a tutto il popolo del paese.

It suits you justiceshame on our faces, O Lord, as is still the case today for the men of Judah, for the inhabitants of Jerusalem and for all Israel, near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered them for the crimes they have committed against you.

Signore, la vergogna sul volto a noi, ai nostri re, ai nostri prìncipi, ai nostri padri, perché abbiamo peccato contro di te; al Signore, nostro God, la misericordia e il perdono, perché ci siamo ribellati contro di lui, non abbiamo ascoltato la voce del Signore, nostro God, né seguito quelle leggi che egli ci aveva dato per mezzo dei suoi servi, i profeti».

Word of God.

Responsorial Psalm
From Psalm 78 (79)

R. Lord, do not treat us according to our sins.
Or:
R. Forgive us, Lord, in your mercy.

Do not impute to us the faults of our ancestors:
let your mercy meet us soon,
why are we so poor! R.

Aiutaci, o God, nostra salvezza,
for the glory of your name;
deliver us and forgive our sins
because of your name. R.

Let the groan of the prisoners reach you;
with the size of your arm
save the condemned to death. R.

And we, your people and flock of your pasture,
we will thank you forever;
from generation to generation we will tell your praise. R.

Gospel acclamation

Praise and honor to you, Lord Jesus.

Your words, Lord, are spirit and life;
you have words of eternal life. (Cf. Jn 6,63c.68c)

Praise and honor to you, Lord Jesus.

Gospel

Forgive and you will be forgiven.

From the Gospel according to Luke
Luke 6:36-38

During that time, Jesus he said to his disciples:

“Be merciful, like the Father yours is merciful.
Do not judge and you will not be judged; do not condemn and you will not be condemned; forgive and you will be forgiven.

Give and it will be given to you: a good measure, pressed down, full and overflowing, will be poured into your womb, because with the measure with which you measure, it will be measured to you in return ".

Word of the Lord.

Saint Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)

Dominican tertiary, doctor of Churchco-patroness of Europe

You are the fire that always burns (trad. cb© evangelizo)

“Be merciful, as your Father is merciful” (Lk 6:36)

OR love ineffable! Or sweet love! O eternal fire! You are the fire that always burns. O sovereign and eternal Trinity, you are there justice without error, simplicity without shadow; you are the unmasked sincerity possible. Direct the gaze of your mercy upon your creatures.

Capisco che la misericordia è propriamente tua, e da qualunque parte mi giri non trovo che la tua misericordia. Ecco perché ricorro a te, grido davanti alla tua misericordia: Oh God, fa’ misericordia al mondo.

Do you want, or Father eternal, that we serve you according to your will and you yourself establish the ways of your servants. It is up to us to teach that we cannot in any way judge the intimate state of a creature starting from its external actions, but that we must refer to your will, especially for your servants united to this will and transformed into it.

He is also happy Christian who sees in your light the infinitely different ways and works of your servants: whatever path they take, they all run the way of the fire of your love, otherwise they would not really follow your truth. (…) O eternal Divinity!

Quanto è vero che la misericordia è propriamente tua! (…) Per misericordia, oggi stesso, non hai voluto forse farmi conoscere, a me spregevole, che non possiamo giudicare nulla delle intenzioni della creatura ragionevole? Poiché diverse all’infinito sono le vie che tracci loro a tua misura, come mi hai mostrato col mio esempio personale. Ti siano rese grazie, mio God!

WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER

Soltanto i misericordiosi assomigliano a God Father.

Questa è la strada, la strada che va contro lo spirito del mondo, che pensa il contrario, che non accusa gli altri. Perché fra noi c’è il grande accusatore, quello che sempre va ad accusarci davanti a God, per distruggerci.

Satan: he is the great accuser. And when I enter this logic of accusing, cursing, trying to harm the other, I enter the logic of the great accuser who is a destroyer.

Who does not know the word 'mercy', does not know, has never lived it (…) The only licit accusation that we Christians have is to accuse ourselves.

For others only mercy, because we are sons of Father which is merciful. (Santa Martha, September 13, 2018)