Gospel: Matthew 5:43-48
You have heard, that it was said: Love your neighbor and do not do good to your enemy. But this I tell you: love your enemies; and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may
be children of your Father in Heaven. For he makes his sun rise on both the wicked and the good; and he gives rain to both the just and the unjust.If you love those who love you, what is special about that? Do not even tax collectors do as much? And if you are friendly only to your friends, what is so exceptional about that? Do not even
the pagans do as much?
As for you, be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Reflection
To see beyond appearances.
Jesus is right: if we love only those we like and do good to those from whom we expect something in return, what extraordinary act are we performing?
Too often, our faith is reduced to lukewarm common sense that anyone could follow. At times, Christianity has become diluted into inoffensive moralism and generalized “do-goodism.” From this perspective, being a Christian differs little from being a good citizen. However, if we take Jesus’s words seriously, it is indeed possible to love our enemies, meaning desiring their conversion and transformation. Revenge and violence become inconceivable for us who have experienced the extraordinary mercy of God. In the face of those who have wronged us, we are called to imitate the heavenly Father, who makes the rain fall on both the just and the wicked. Of course, it is not easy, especially when beautiful words take on the contours of the face of a particular person. Yet that is the challenge of being a Christian: to see beyond appearances and recognize the face of a brother who can change with God’s grace.
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