Mt 5:43-48
[Jesus said to his disciples,] 43“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, 45that
you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise
on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the
unjust. 46For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? 47And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? 48So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Reflection:
AS YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER IS PERFECT.
Jesus asks us to love our enemies, do good to them, avoid revenge, and
not think of retaliation. We open our hearts to understanding and
forgiveness. We create all possibilities to foster friendship. Jesus
also asks us to pray for our persecutors, to wish them good, to see
goodness in them, and to think of their well-being.
Jesus is teaching us here to avoid
biases and prejudices and to get rid of the “likes and dislikes”
attitude. Our love should be for all—both the lovable and the
unlovable. Our help should transcend our emotions. And our model for
this is the Father whose love does not discriminate. As God’s children,
we must be like the Father.
Reach out to someone
with whom you have not spoken for a long time.
with whom you have not spoken for a long time.
No comments:
Post a Comment