The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today recall the Destruction and Disaster of Biblical Wars in contrast with Jesus' love and compassion.
The Reading from the Book of Daniel describes The Seventy Weeks of Years.
* [9:2] Seventy years: Jeremiah was understood to prophesy a Babylonian captivity of seventy years, a round number signifying the complete passing away of the existing generation (Jer 25:11; 29:10). On this view Jeremiah’s prophecy was seen to be fulfilled in the capture of Babylon by Cyrus and the subsequent return of the Jews to Palestine. However, the author of Daniel, living during the persecution of Antiochus, extends Jeremiah’s number to seventy weeks of years (Dn 9:24), i.e., seven times seventy years, to encompass the period of Seleucid persecution. (Daniel, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 79 laments the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonian army in 587 B.C.
* [Psalm 79] A communal lament complaining that the nations have defiled the Temple and murdered the holy people, leaving their corpses unburied (Ps 79:1–4). The occasion is probably the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonian army in 587 B.C. The people ask how long the withdrawal of divine favor will last (Ps 79:5), pray for action now (Ps 79:6–7), and admit that their own sins have brought about the catastrophe (Ps 79:8–9). They seek to persuade God to act for reasons of honor: the nations who do not call upon the Name are running amok (Ps 79:6); the divine honor is compromised (Ps 79:1, 10, 12); God’s own servants suffer (Ps 79:2–4, 11). (Psalms, PSALM 79 | USCCB, n.d.)
The “Sermon on the Plain” in the Gospel of Luke exhorts us to avoid Judging Others.
* [6:20–49] Luke’s “Sermon on the Plain” is the counterpart to Matthew’s “Sermon on the Mount” (Mt 5:1–7:27). It is addressed to the disciples of Jesus, and, like the sermon in Matthew, it begins with beatitudes (Lk 6:20–22) and ends with the parable of the two houses (Lk 6:46–49). Almost all the words of Jesus reported by Luke are found in Matthew’s version, but because Matthew includes sayings that were related to specifically Jewish Christian problems (e.g., Mt 5:17–20; 6:1–8, 16–18) that Luke did not find appropriate for his predominantly Gentile Christian audience, the “Sermon on the Mount” is considerably longer. Luke’s sermon may be outlined as follows: an introduction consisting of blessings and woes (Lk 6:20–26); the love of one’s enemies (Lk 6:27–36); the demands of loving one’s neighbor (Lk 6:37–42); good deeds as proof of one’s goodness (Lk 6:43–45); a parable illustrating the result of listening to and acting on the words of Jesus (Lk 6:46–49). At the core of the sermon is Jesus’ teaching on the love of one’s enemies (Lk 6:27–36) that has as its source of motivation God’s graciousness and compassion for all humanity (Lk 6:35–36) and Jesus’ teaching on the love of one’s neighbor (Lk 6:37–42) that is characterized by forgiveness and generosity. (Luke, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)
Rev. Elvin Cardoso, SJ, comments that forgiving small hurts may seem manageable, like a harsh word from a spouse, an embarrassing moment at work, or a misunderstanding among friends. But what about deeper wounds?
“Stop judging… stop condemning… forgive and you will be forgiven” (Lk 6:37). These words feel counterintuitive in a world driven by retaliation and fear. But spiritually, we know the truth: we all miss the mark. We all depend daily on forgiveness. And God never withholds it. Divine love always precedes our efforts; it is the source from which our mercy flows. The mercy we receive is universal, constant, and unconditional. If we are created in God’s likeness, then such mercy is deeply rooted within us to be shown to others as well.
The message of the readings today, then, is this revelation: we are loved beyond measure. From that overflowing love, we are empowered to love and forgive beyond what seems humanly possible. To be merciful as the Father is merciful is our challenge, our calling, and our hope—not just for today or during Lent, but to be practiced every day. (Cardoso, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes The Practice of Mercy, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"The practice of mercy is twofold: when vengeance is sacrificed and when compassion is shown. The Lord included both of these in his brief sentence: 'Forgive, and you shall be forgiven; give, and it shall be given to you.' This work has the effect of purifying the heart, so that, even under the limitations of this life, we are enabled with pure mind to see the immutable reality of God. There is something holding us back, which has to be loosed so that our sight may break through to the light. In connection with this the Lord said, 'Give alms, and behold, all things are clean to you.' Therefore the next and sixth step is that cleansing of the heart." (excerpt from Letter 171A.2) (Schwager, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments that Daniel offers a penitential prayer for the suffering of those who have sinned but now he seeks “hesed”, covenant love and “emet” faithfulness as characteristics of God in Hebrew faith. Punishment is meant to be therapeutic, calling us back and we can't do it on our own. Rejecting judging means we cannot judge people as evil but as broken. We can give of ourselves in forgiveness and we are free of the burden of rancour on our hearts. Friar Jude notes that God fills our heart with the overflowing love and our ability to accept or reject God's Love increases or decreases with our choice to act with love or retribution.
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 6:36-38 comments that Jesus warns us, “The measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you” (Luke 6:38). He would much rather have us treat one another with mercy, even to the point where he promises, “Forgive and you will be forgiven” (6:37).
Above all, think about the way he forgave those who condemned him to death, those who nailed his hands and feet to the cross, and those who stood by and jeered and taunted him while he hung there (Luke 23:34). Jesus’ persecutors were acting cruelly, no doubt, but they were blinded by their ignorance and their inability to see in Jesus the mercy that could set them free. And so many times, this is true of us—we condemn because we cannot see. We cannot see the whole person we are condemning, and we cannot see the image of God in them. May the Lord open our eyes and teach us to see through his eyes of mercy!
“Jesus, teach me to be merciful as you are merciful!” (Meditation on Luke 6:36-38, n.d.)
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, considers how God used the prophets to upend notions of retributive justice, which prevail in most cultures to this day.
By his final verses, Amos sees God as more merciful and more compassionate, even as he continues to lament Israel’s foolishness and failures:
That day I will re-erect the tottering hut of David,
Make good the gaps in it,
Restore the ancient ruins,
And rebuild its ancient ruins (Amos 9:11).
Amos is inaugurating a revolution in our understanding of how divine love operates among us. This is no longer retribution or punishment, but a full reordering. It is such divine extravagance, a philosophy of “love them into loving me back”, that sets the pattern for all the prophets to follow. He represents a strong and clear movement away from retribution and punishment to what will become a new covenant of restorative justice that we see worked out in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and, of course, in the life of Jesus. This changes everything, or at least it should. (Rohr, n.d.)
We implore the Spirit, in a world driven by retaliation and fear, to guide us in expressing a philosophy of “love them into loving me back” as we advocate for peace and reconciliation for all people through our observance of Lent and Ramadan.
References
Cardoso, E. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved March 2, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-march-2-2026
Daniel, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 2, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/daniel/9?4
Luke, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 2, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/6?36
Meditation on Luke 6:36-38. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved March 2, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/03/02/1511131/
Psalms, PSALM 79 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 2, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/79?8
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. A Prophet’s Call for Justice. Retrieved March 2, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-prophets-call-for-justice/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Be Merciful as Your Father Is Merciful. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 2, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/
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