Monday of the second week of lent

Date: Monday, March 6
Contributor: Barb Hovey
Lectionary Link  
 
Today’s gospel is part of what Luke described as the sermon on the plain. Jesus and his apostles arrived on a plain to be greeted by a multitude of people. In these verses, Jesus gives instructions to love your enemies. There are well known injunctions to turn the other cheek, to be merciful and to forgive.
 
One line stood out to me on the first reading of this lesson: “Do to others as you would have them do to you”. This is commonly described as the Golden Rule. It is an ancient concept and Jesus would have known it as a tenet of Judaism. I am fond of the Golden Rule because it is simply stated but profound.
 
Paul McKenna of Scarboro Missions designed a multi-faith poster showing the Golden Rule in sacred writings from 13 faith traditions. Creating the poster "took five years of research that included consultations with experts in each of the 13 faith groups." This poster has been on permanent display at the Headquarters of the United Nations since 2002.





​

---