Monday, Second Week of Lent

The Readings
Dan 9:4b 10 We have sinned
Psalm 79 Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.
Luke 6:36 38 Be compassionate, do not judge and you will not be judged; the generosity of God.

St. Gaspar
I shall not be lacking in promptness to do this marvelous deed for which I am an unworthy instrument. Certainly it is very necessary that the bases for this mystical edifice be firmly established through prayer and industrious charity.

And of, what a great consolation it is to reflect that no matter where we may be, we are with God. This is the same thing as saying that we are with the one and only Good, with the object of our delights, with the only one who can satisfy our heart's desires.

"With God's help, we can do all things since God is total goodness and love toward us. Hence, be confident and courageous."

I understand what you say about Fr. Vittorio. His behavior is a worry for us. He has received nothing but love from the Society, and God does not have need of his influence for the government or the spread of the Society. I forgive his intentions, but you know very well what writers of moral theology and asceticism say about the discrediting of an Institute. Yes, you can be sure, it is truly an eccentricity. If you think it is a good idea, write to him.

Let us be consoled that God is being glorified during these miserable times of ours, during which an increase in prayer is needed so that the radical reform that all of us are hoping for will become a reality. Let us forgive our neighbor as best we can and with an industrious charity let us carry out the works of the Lord. Not all have the same gifts. Training, also, is something very influential on others. So, one will support the other and thus we will maintain a balance in the equilibrium. May the Divine Blood be for us the fountain of ample blessings and you, through this devotion, have reason to be consoled.

Reflection
Today is a day to focus on two things: Covenant and the forgiveness of sins. Our God is a compassionate God who keeps his merciful covenant, showering his people with the fullness of his divine gifts, good measure and overflowing. Jesus directs his disciples to be merciful as God is merciful. The Lord does not deal with us according to our sins. So then, we too, if we are his followers, are directed to let go of judgment and approach our neighbor with mercy and forgiveness. God is merciful, so we are merciful.

St. Gaspar was a model of forgiveness. In dozens of his letters you find him in difficult situations, but early on you hear him say “I forgive all.”

In the process leading up to his canonization his niece was heard to say:

He was, of course, very careful not to bring any sort of harm to his neighbor, neither in his physical person nor to his honor nor to his property. He was most eager to forgive defects in others and when it was a question of something minor, he would not at all make a fuss about it, acknowledging the fact that no person is without faults.

We are invited and challenged to put on the ways of God, to enter the covenant he has established through his extravagant generosity and the blood of his Son, to take hold of his mercy and show his compassion to the world. St. Gaspar saw this as only possible when we are aware that we possess our greatest desire. When we know the unending and extravagant generosity of God, then we are able to share it with others. If we feel judged and held bound by our sins, then we do not have the capacity to show mercy ourselves. But forgiven much, we are able to show mercy as well, and this "industrious charity" is the basis of building the reign of God.

• What behavior of mine is most like God's?
• Where in my life do I need God's mercy?
• How would I describe the Love of God?
• How must I go about forgiving the ones who hurt me?
• How do I act forgiven?

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 9:23 PM link

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