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." (Luke 6: 27-38)
Introductory Prayer: God
the Father, thank you for the gift of creation, including my own life. God the
Son, thank you for redeeming me at the price of your own Body and Blood. God
the Holy Spirit, thank you for being the sweet guest of my soul, enlightening
my mind, strengthening my spirit and kindling the fire of your love in my
heart.
Petition: Lord Jesus, help
me to actively seek the perfection you desire for me.
1. Revolution or Civil War? The
values that Jesus proposes in his sermon on the mountain might be termed
“revolutionary.” Never had the ideal of love been placed so high, demanding
such heroism in practice. That’s why what Jesus asks provokes a struggle within
me, between the “old man,” who resists this message, and the ideals my Lord
places before me. This might be termed a “civil war” played out on the
battlefield of my heart.
2. The Golden Rule: Jesus
gives me what has been termed the “Golden Rule”: do to others as you would have
them do to you. Since I naturally love myself to the point of desiring all good
things and nothing bad to come my way, Jesus exhorts me to transfer that
benevolence to others. This requires an effort for me, since I tend towards
egoism. What can lift me up out of my smallness, my narrowness?
3. Becoming like God: God’s
plan for me is marvelous. It exceeds my comprehension to hear Jesus tell me to
be perfect, not according to a standard of human perfection, but according to
divine perfection. My vocation is to become like God – for his divine life to
increase in me and for my narrow, egoistic standards to diminish and disappear.
I would not strive for such a high goal, if it were not commanded by my Lord. I
must trust that he can do it in me. What I have to do is to collaborate with
him, seeking him in prayer and discerning his will for me always.
Conversation with Christ:
I thank you, Lord Jesus, for wanting to
transform me into a greater likeness of God. Without you, this is impossible.
With you, everything is possible, even in me with all my weaknesses and
limitations. Your will be done!
Resolution: I will transform my
way of judging from my point of view to God’s. Today I will strive to put into
practice the “Golden Rule”
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