16 Th JUNE.TUESDAY WEEK 11

READINGS

1.2Corinthians 8:1-9

2. Gospel: Matthew5:43-48

REFLECTIONS AND MEDITATIONS

From the scriptures today we are invited to meditate and focus our minds on the spirit of forgiveness. We are invited to let off go all our instincts that at times make us to have a wrong and harsh judgement on others, such instincts are like envy and pride. No matter how justified our anger is yet we are called to forgive.

In Yesterday gospel we heard Jesus calls on his disciples not to take vengeance on their counter parts( enemies). In today’s gospel, Jesus goes further urging us to love our enemies. The love towards our enemy Jesus speaks today in the gospel is all about an expression in active service. The parable of a good Samaritan ( Lk10:25-37) is a clear example on the gospel reading in which a Samaritan renders a good service to a person who would have been regarded by the Samaritan as an enemy (Jew), such love of an enemy will also find an expression in prayer for the enemy as we Jesus himself on the cross prayed for his enemies to his father in heaven to forgive them for they did not know what they were doing.

Jesus today invites us to go beyond what our love would naturally embrace. The gospel reading is urging us through our faith to reveal the very love of God who loves both good people and bad ones, we are invited to extend our love to all people, in other words is that the love of God does not have boundaries, it the boundless love. This will be possible if we remain faithful in prayer, and remain firm in the word of God.

The power of the Holy Spirit through prayer will enable us to extend the same boundless love of God even to people who hate us. Practically to love the enemy is meritorious because the one considered an enemy is one in a position to spell out one’s wrong doings (failures) than the one considered a close friend because a friend never tells one’s failures in fear of losing friendship, though some friends are able to spell out their friends mistakes, yet they are very few who can do that.

Showing kindness and mercy to our brothers and sisters with view to benefit has nothing to do with the love we are told from the scriptures today.  We are invited to love all people including grateful and ungrateful ones we should never expect anything in return. Only the cross of Christ is a solution to free each one of us from the power of tyranny and spirit of revenge. As we celebrate this mass let us ask the God our father to enlighten us with the Holy spirit that we may persevere in loving those who seem to be our enemies.