Monday of the Second Week of Lent

From 'Walk with Me' for Lent 2019 - Living a Holy Life

The best way to discern if our prayer is authentic is to judge to what extent our life is being transformed in the light of mercy. (Gaudate et exsultate 105)

Luke 6:36-38

'Be merciful just as your Father is merciful.'

Change can be hard. To justify our old ways, we say that a leopard cannot change its spots or a tiger its stripes. It's not that we cannot change but that we think we do not need to, or really want to. We say to ourselves, 'I am who I am,' What you see is what you get!' But we are called to change and be transformed by the renewal of our minds (Romans 12:2). We radiate God's life when our thinking and then our actions change. This takes courage and an open heart. Perhaps we can be more understanding and patient; perhaps we can be less judgemental; perhaps more embracing of others, more forgiving. Do we need to be so self-righteous? Our rough edges are smoothed over and our surfaces polished by God's grace.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left. (St Patrick)