Dear friend, Sunday’s reading is taken from the Holy Gospel according to Luke 6:27-38 In verse 35 Jesus instructs us to:
35 “..love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return;[c] and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish. 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.”
We are all human and we have a God given free will to make choices hopefully do what is right but there are times when we find ourselves also making wrong choices. No matter how hard it may seem during those difficult decision-making times, draw upon your love for God and love your enemies. Follow Jesus’ teachings. It’s what God asks of us.
Lent begins next week, March 2. As a child growing up in a Catholic home being educated in Catholic schools during Lent, we were encouraged to give up something we enjoyed or gave us pleasure, possibly got us into trouble or all of the above. (Things like, candy, TV, or fighting with our siblings.) Even today many Catholics like to give up something during Lent but starting this year, perhaps you might consider practicing what Jesus is asking of us here in Luke’s Gospel. Do this and I truly believe that ‘your reward will be great’ starting with the reward of having a conscience free and clear because you chose to conduct yourself according to God’s plan.
Our Lord is kind and merciful. We are created in God’s image, so being kind, being merciful is within each and every one of us. We only need to pray for the will to make the right decision and act accordingly.
Prayer:
Dear kind and merciful God, fill our hearts and minds with a true and intense desire to do what is right in our lives and the lives of everyone around us. Loving one’s enemies is probably the ultimate challenge these days considering there is so much hatred and animosity in our world. Help us to prepare our hearts and souls during the upcoming Lenten season by reflecting on the ultimate sacrifice that your Son, our Lord and Savior, made for us. We were the sinners: he was the perfect lamb. He was sacrificed for our salvation. The least we can do is to live up to his commandments; ‘love our enemies, do good’ not merely to look for his promise of a great reward but because it is how God created us to be.
May God be with you and may He continue to protect and guide you and yours.
Peace, love, joy and thanksgiving in Christ Jesus, our Savior!
Marie Antoinette
All life matters – from conception on!
His Righteousness 