18 June, 2024 | Tuesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1 1 Kgs 21:17-29
Gospel Mt 5:43-48
Jesus said to his disciples:
"You have heard that it was said,
You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
But I say to you, love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you,
that 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.
For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?
Do not the tax collectors do the same?
And if you greet your brothers only,
what is unusual about that?
Do not the pagans do the same?
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect."
Reflection:
In today’s Gospel passage we see Jesus taking his disciples to a higher level of loving one’s neighbour. He wants the children of God to be perfect just as their heavenly Father is perfect in loving and compassionate behaviour. Here we see the Son of Man bringing his disciples closer to his way of loving as the Divine and hoping that they will raise their love to that level. He cites the example of the worldly tax collector who does good to those who do good to him. And then he shows the magnanimous love of his heavenly Father who shines the sun on both the good and the bad. Perfect love is unusual. It is not pagan but perfection itself like God our heavenly Father.
Activity:
Examine the nature of your interactions with your peers and see how you can raise it to a higher or better level of perfection in loving.
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