The Word of God
‘You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.
‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.” But I say to 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 the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters,* what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Some thoughts on today's scripture
ActiveDefault- I try to listen to these words of Jesus not as law-giving, perhaps not even as a sermon, but as a message that is given for my freedom. Jesus wants me to be free of limits that I may have set upon myself by imagining others wrongly. I pray that attitudes and actions may change by my acting in the freedom that Jesus gives.
- Jesus does not belong only to the ‘good people’: his love is also wide open to the wicked. He prays for his torturers: ‘Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing’. Lord, teach me to pray for those who wrong me personally, but also for the conversion of those who inflict pain and suffering on others in our world. I won’t easily run out of people to pray for and I will be transformed in the process!
Some thoughts on today's scripture
ActiveDefault- “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” has a grim ring to our contemporary ears... This is not good enough for Jesus “But I say to you”. Jesus is here setting the bar much higher for his followers. The new model now is how the heavenly Father deals with all of us regardless of how we relate to Him.
- We are called to nothing less than perfection. In the Gospel of St Luke we learn more about the sort of perfection called for. St Luke’s phrase is: “Be merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful”. What is called for is the perfection of mercy. In his last moments on Calvary Jesus gave us an example of what is meant: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do”. Let us try to be more like Jesus.
Some thoughts on today's scripture
ActiveDefault- I am to be as perfect as God the Father! Is Jesus being unreasonable, asking too much of me?
- Jesus portrays God as a loving and proud Father who sees Himself in me and in each one of his sons and daughters. So He expects of me as a dearly-loved child of his, created in his image, that I will be good to all my brothers and sisters, even my ‘enemies’ and persecutors.
- I am not to retaliate, but should give, share, lend and go the extra mile.