Growing in Justice and Mercy

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to meditate on the measures we take to share our wealth of wisdom and resources with those we may ignore in our arrogance. 

Care for All

The Reading from the Prophet Jeremiah proclaims the path to True Wisdom.

c. [17:5] Ps 146:2–3.

d. [17:7] Ps 1:3.

e. [17:8] Is 58:11.

f. [17:10] Jer 32:19; 1 Sm 16:7; Eccl 12:14. (Jeremiah, CHAPTER 17 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 1 presents striking similes on the destiny of the good and the wicked.

* [Psalm 1] A preface to the whole Book of Psalms, contrasting with striking similes the destiny of the good and the wicked. The Psalm views life as activity, as choosing either the good or the bad. Each “way” brings its inevitable consequences. The wise through their good actions will experience rootedness and life, and the wicked, rootlessness and death. (Psalms, PSALM 1 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus presents The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.

* [16:19–31] The parable of the rich man and Lazarus again illustrates Luke’s concern with Jesus’ attitude toward the rich and the poor. The reversal of the fates of the rich man and Lazarus (Lk 16:22–23) illustrates the teachings of Jesus in Luke’s “Sermon on the Plain” (Lk 6:20–21, 24–25).

* [16:19] The oldest Greek manuscript of Luke dating from ca. A.D. 175–225 records the name of the rich man as an abbreviated form of “Nineveh,” but there is very little textual support in other manuscripts for this reading. “Dives” of popular tradition is the Latin Vulgate’s translation for “rich man” (Lk 16:19–31).

* [16:23] The netherworld: see note on Lk 10:15.

* [16:30–31] A foreshadowing in Luke’s gospel of the rejection of the call to repentance even after Jesus’ resurrection. (Luke, CHAPTER 16 | USCCB, n.d.)

Greg Dyche wonders what it is that the Rich Man wants Lazarus to tell his brothers. Is it just the shock of someone returning from the dead? Abraham tells the Rich Man that his brothers have already ignored Moses and the prophets. What was it they were ignoring?

The Rich Man walked by Lazarus and, day after day, decided not to open his hand. Lazarus had a legal right to the crumbs off his table, and the Rich Man refused to see Lazarus as a brother. Lazarus didn’t belong to him.

Do I live with an open hand? When I seek the Lord, I tend to prefer a table for one. I like my private religion. What compass am I using now? Am I trusting in the Lord or trusting in a man, me? Am I sitting in the tension, or am I walking through life numb, nodding to Lazarus and dining out in comfort? Am I to be ashamed of my minor prosperity? Am I to seek suffering in this life, so I can stack up rewards in the next?

I like to ask questions to help me think through an idea. I’m talking only to myself, not you. I’ll let you talk to you. Tension is my compass toward prayer. For me, I sit in the tension with Jesus, and I’m never satisfied that I’ve figured it out, but I’ll be at peace knowing Jesus will answer for me. So what does this mean for me today? When I feel the tension, I’ll try to remember that’s the signal to open my hand. (Dyche, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Creator of both rich and poor,” by Augustine of Hippo, 3540-430 A.D.

"God made both the rich and the poor. So the rich and the poor are born alike. You meet one another as you walk on the way together. Do not oppress or defraud anyone. One may be needy and another may have plenty. But the Lord is the maker of them both. Through the person who has, He helps the one who needs - and through the person who does not have, He tests the one who has." (excerpt from Sermon 35, 7) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the continuation of the theme of not trusting in human beings in Jeremiah who exhorts us to trust in God so we will flourish like a tree planted near water. If we trust, God will always provide. In Luke, the purple garment indicates the man was incredibly rich. and he doesn’t share with Lazarus. In death, Lazarus is mentioned by name but the rich man is nameless. Resting in the bosom of Abraham for Lazarus indicates a banquet table. The distance from heaven to hell is so great we cannot cross the gap.  Friar Jude notes that Jesus is referring to His Resurrection as He cites that someone rising from the dead would be ignored. Friar Jude observes that material wealth often causes the rich to become arrogant, but we possess our opinions and prejudice as arrogance that restricts our duty to serve others. 

The Word Among Us Meditation on Jeremiah 17:5-10 urges us to listen as we consider what happens when we trust in the Lord.

We are like a tree planted beside the waters. When we trust the Lord, we plant ourselves right next to him. He becomes for us a stream of living water in the desert, flowing next to us, enabling us to receive his life and his blessings.

We stretch out our roots to the stream. We know God is the source of life, and so we call upon him, reaching out the “roots” of our faith to receive his living waters. We make this act of trust in prayer as we acknowledge our need for the Lord and his grace. We believe that his grace is not a trickle; it is a freely flowing stream, even in the desert.

We fear not the heat when it comes. In the year of drought, we show no distress. God knows that we will face the “heat” of difficulties in life: questions, unexpected challenges, personal struggles. We will experience the “drought” of loss and sorrow. But planted close to the stream, with roots stretched into those living waters, we always have access to God’s presence. Our distress is calmed as we recall how he has comforted and provided for us in the past. We know that he will sustain us now and always.

We bear fruit. As we trust in the Lord, we allow him to provide for and tend us. He makes us fruitful as we surrender our sorrows and difficulties to him. He helps us bear the fruit of his Spirit: love and peace and patience and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

All of these blessings are the fruit of trusting in the Lord. And they are blessings he longs to pour out on you!

“Lord God, thank you for the blessings that come when I trust in you!” (Meditation on Jeremiah 17:5-10, n.d.)

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Marietta Jaeger Lane whose daughter Susie was kidnapped and murdered. She recounts wrestling with the concept of forgiveness to restorative justice with educator Elaine Enns.

There was a time in the beginning where I felt that if I forgave the kidnapper, I would be unfaithful to Susie. I also struggled with a belief common to victims of violence—that if I could stay angry and get revenge, I was in control. 

I was catapulted into a very intense, spiritual journey, and spent many hours in prayer and reading scripture. God spoke to me frequently. It was a long, gradual process but, during that year, I came to realize three things: 

1. In staying full of rage I was in fact handing my power over to the kidnapper, allowing his actions to change my value system and lead me away from the direction I wanted my life to go in. 

2. In God’s eyes the kidnapper was just as precious as my little girl. 

3. And if I wanted to live my Catholic faith with integrity, I was called to forgive and pray for my enemies.

Lane later became a human rights advocate. (Rohr, n.d.)

We contemplate the action we need to revisit, with the inspiration of the Spirit, to continue to be agents of mercy and justice for the less advantaged in our environment.

References

Dyche, G. (n.d.). Daily Reflections. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved March 5, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-march-5-2026 

Jeremiah, CHAPTER 17 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 5, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/jeremiah/17?5 

Luke, CHAPTER 16 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 5, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/16?19 

Meditation on Jeremiah 17:5-10. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved March 5, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/03/05/1512651/ 

Psalms, PSALM 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 5, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/1?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved March 5, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/divine-freedom-to-forgive/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Lazarus Was Carried to Abraham's Bosom. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 5, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Choice and Denial

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to make an informed choice about our action as followers of Christ that confirms our willingness to seek full life for all.

Ponder Our Choice

The Reading from the Book of Deuteronomy proclaims The Choice Before Israel.

j. [30:15] Dt 11:26–28; Jer 21:8.

k. [30:16] Dt 4:1; 8:1; 11:22.

l. [30:17–18] Dt 5:7; 6:4; 8:19–20.

m. [30:19] Dt 4:26; 11:26–28; 28:2, 15; 31:28.

n. [30:20] Dt 1:8; 4:1, 40. (Deuteronomy, CHAPTER 30 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 1 is a preface to the whole Book of Psalms .

* [Psalm 1] A preface to the whole Book of Psalms, contrasting with striking similes the destiny of the good and the wicked. The Psalm views life as activity, as choosing either the good or the bad. Each “way” brings its inevitable consequences. The wise through their good actions will experience rootedness and life, and the wicked, rootlessness and death. (Psalms, PSALM 1 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus presents The Conditions of Discipleship.

* [9:23] Daily: this is a Lucan addition to a saying of Jesus, removing the saying from a context that envisioned the imminent suffering and death of the disciple of Jesus (as does the saying in Mk 8:34–35) to one that focuses on the demands of daily Christian existence. (Luke, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)

Tom Kelly comments that today’s readings offer criteria about what a faithful life looks like. One is from the final book of Deuteronomy, while the other is from the Gospel of Luke.  Both offer thoughts on the temptation of short-term gains and encourage us to live for long-term goals.

As we know, he was persecuted because he threatened the religious leaders of his day by stating that all were loved by God—without conditions.  The people he revealed this to no longer allowed the religious leaders to determine their status before God.  Thus, Jesus threatened the power and authority of the religious leaders of his day and there were severe consequences.

In like manner, (2) those who follow Jesus must give themselves for the good of others (“Love one another as I have loved you.”)

This may be our children, our neighbor, our stranger, our “other” and when we love them, we must bear the consequences (the cross) of that action. If my first concern is me, I will truly die as I am finite and limited.  If my first concern is loving others, and I commit my life to that—I cannot die because this love, like God, is eternal. (Kelly, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “God calls us to conversion,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 AD.

"God calls us to correct ourselves and invites us to do penance. He calls us through the wonderful gifts of his creation, and he calls us by granting time for life. He calls us through the reader and through the preacher. He calls us with the innermost force of our thoughts. He calls us with the scourge of punishment, and he calls us with the mercy of his consolation." (excerpt from Commentary on Psalm 102, 16) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 9:22-25 implores us to take up the cross of loving someone even if they are hard to love. We seek help to take the first step toward that other person.

“Jesus, as you hung on the cross, you asked your Father why he had abandoned you. But your death opened the gates of heaven for me! Every barrier between me and your Father has been removed. When you offer me the cross of physical or emotional suffering, help me to embrace it. Help me to trust that even when I’m suffering or feel abandoned, you are always close to me, pouring your love into my heart. As I surrender to your will, let me know the freedom of relying on you. Let me know the freedom and joy that flow from knowing you are walking beside me.

“Lord Jesus, thank you for all you have done on the cross! Help me to take up my own cross and know the freedom you have won for me.” (Meditation on Luke 9:22-25, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that in the Deuteronomy reading, Moses puts two paths before the people, life observing the commandments, or death. In Lent, God presents a choice to us and we are not able to remain sitting on the fence. In Luke, Jesus, identifying as the Son of Man, declares He would suffer, die, and rise again. The disciples too have to take up their cross and give everything they have to be like Christ in the world. Friar Jude underlines our need to recognize conversion and rectification to be more Christ-like.

Fr Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that Trappist monk Thomas Merton (1915–1968) did much to recover the contemplative tradition within the Christian religion. 

Our time is in desperate need of this kind of simplicity. It needs to recapture something of the experience reflected in these lines. The word to emphasize is experience. The few short phrases collected in this volume have little or no value merely as information. It would be futile to skip through these [aphorisms] and lightly take note of the fact that the Fathers said this and this. What good will it do us to know merely that such things were once said? The important thing is that they were lived. That they flow from an experience of the deeper levels of life. [1] (Rohr, 2025)

Benedicta Ward, a scholar of the desert mystics, describes how the simple language of the desert abbas and ammas can mask the deep wisdom they contain. 

The essence of the spirituality of the desert is that it was not taught but caught; it was a whole way of life. It was not an esoteric doctrine or a predetermined plan of ascetic practice that would be learned and applied. The Father, or ‘abba,’ was not the equivalent of the Zen Buddhist ‘Master.’ 

Abba Agathon said, “Prayer is hard work and a great struggle to one’s last breath” and there is the story told about Abba Lot:

Abba Joseph came to Abba Lot and said to him: “Father, according to my strength I keep a moderate rule of prayer and fasting, quiet and meditation, and as far as I can I control my imagination; what more must I do?” And the old man rose and held his hands toward the sky so that his fingers became like flames of fire and he said, “If you will, you shall become all flame.” [2] (Rohr, 2025)

We invoke the guidance of the Spirit to deny the temptation of choices that are self-serving and seek contemplation that leads to action in prayer and service for people in need.

References

Deuteronomy, CHAPTER 30 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings. Retrieved February 19, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/deuteronomy/30?15 

Kelly, T. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved February 19, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-february-19-2026 

Luke, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 19, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/9?22 

Meditation on Luke 9:22-25. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved February 19, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/02/19/1505241/ 

Psalms, PSALM 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 19, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/1 

Rohr, R. (2025, March 13). Experience Over Knowledge. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved February 19, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/experience-over-knowledge/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Take up Your Cross Daily and Follow Christ. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 19, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/