2ND SAMUEL 7: 18 – 19, 24 – 29

After Nathan had spoken to David, the king went in and sat before The Lord, and said, “Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord GOD; you have spoken also of your servant’s house for a great while to come, and have shown me future generations, O Lord GOD. And you did establish for yourself your people Israel to be your people for ever; and you, O Lord, did become their God. And now, O Lord God, confirm for ever the word which you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, and do as you have spoken; and your name will be magnified for ever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel, ’ and the house of your servant David will be established before you. For you, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house’; there were your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. And now, O Lord GOD, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant; now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue for ever before you; for you, O Lord GOD, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed for ever.”

_*The Word of the Lord.*_

_*RESPONSORIAL PSALM*__Psalm 132: 1 – 5, 11 – 14 (R.) Lk 1: 32b_
_*R/. The Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David.*_ O Lord, remember Davidand all the hardships he endured, the oath he swore to the Lord,his vow to the Strong One of Jacob. R/.
“I will not enter my house, nor go to the bed where I rest; I will give no sleep to my eyes,to my eyelids I will give no slumber, till I find a place for the Lord,a dwelling for the Strong One of Jacob.” R/.
The Lord swore an oath to David; he will not go back on his word: “A son, the fruit of your body,will I set upon your throne.” R/.
“If your sons hold fast to my covenant, and my laws that I have taught them, their sons, in turn, shall siton your throne from age to age.” R/.
For the Lord has chosen Sion; he has desired it for his dwelling:“This is my resting-place from age to age; here have I chosen to dwell.” R/.

_*GOSPEL ACCLAMATION.*__Psalm 119: 105_
Alleluia. _Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light to my path._Alleluia.

_*GOSPEL*__*MARK 4: 21 – 25*_
At that time: Jesus said to the crowd, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a bushel, or under a bed, and not on a stand? For there is nothing hidden, except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret, except to come to light. If any man has ears to hear, let him hear.” And he said to them, “Take heed what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. For to him who has will more be given; and from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
_*The Gospel of the Lord.

*REFLECTION: One Good Reason for Mercy*_January 27, 2022_
_He also told them, “Take care what you hear.  The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you, and still more will be given to you.”  (Mark 4:24)_
How would you like others to deal with you?  How would you like them to treat you?  Most certainly we would all like to be treated with mercy.  We wish to be shown kindness, compassion, care, honesty, and the like.  One thing this passage above reveals is that we will be dealt with, by God, in the same way we deal with others.
Ideally, we will show mercy and goodness to others simply because it’s the right thing to do.  God calls us to a life of abundant charity and we should desire to live that life.  But if we struggle with charity toward others, perhaps one motivating factor could be to realize that we will be treated in the same way that we act toward others.

Though this may put a certain “holy fear” in our hearts and encourage us to act with mercy, it should also call us to desire to go beyond the basics and to offer love and compassion in an abundant way.
Think about it.  If you spend your whole life striving to forgive, to show love, to reconcile, to help those in need, etc., you, too, can be assured of these gifts being lavished upon you now and in the end.  You can be assured that God will not withhold anything from you.  Instead, He will joyfully pour out upon you more than you could ever expect or hope for.

*Reflect,* today, upon your own calling to a life of abundant generosity.  There are countless ways that you are called to be generous toward others.  Commit yourself to this life of goodness and then anticipate all that God will pour forth upon you.
*PRAYER:*_Lord of endless generosity, help me to be radically generous in my love and compassion toward others.  Help me to forgive, to show kindness, to be merciful and to do it all in abundance.  I love You my dear Lord.  Help me to also love those You have put in my life with a perfect and total love.  Jesus, I trust in You.