A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke 6: 27-38
Jesus said to his disciples: “To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, and get back the same amount. But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as also your Father is merciful. “Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”
REFLECTION: “To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
True Love is unconditional. So we ask Jesus, "Whom must we love" and He answers, "Your enemies".
That is hard and in fact impossible for many. Yet Jesus tells us that is what He expects from us and that we must love our enemies.
If someone slaps you, hits you, spits on you, ridicules you, beats you up, gossips about you, lies to you, has no regard for you as a fellow human being, and has plans to kill you, how can you possibly love them? If this happened to a loved one how would you handle it?
Jesus is asking too much of us. But God did it.
We cannot do this on our own strength but need to plead for Jesus' merciful love and grace. Follow His Cross. Follow Him. Imitate Him. Follow His example. Then we can say, I will do your will.
God Bless You.
