“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father.” Matthew 5:44-45a

This is not an easy command from our Lord. But it is a command of love.

First, He calls us to love our enemies. Who are our enemies? Hopefully we do not have “enemies” in the sense of those who we have willfully chosen to hate. But we may have people in our lives who we are tempted to have anger toward and who we have a difficult time loving. Perhaps we can consider anyone we struggle with as our enemies.

To love them does not necessarily mean we must become best friends with them, but it does mean we must work toward having a true affection of care, concern, understanding and forgiveness toward them. This can be hard to have toward everyone but it must be our goal.

The second part of this command will help. Praying for those who persecute us will help us grow in the proper love and affection we need to foster. This aspect of love is quite straightforward even though it is also quite difficult.

Think about those whom you have a very difficult time loving. Those toward whom you have anger. It could be a family member, someone at work, a neighbor or someone from your past with whom you have never reconciled. It is in keeping with this Gospel passage to honestly admit that there is at least someone, or perhaps more than one person, with whom you struggle, either externally or internally. Admitting this is simply an act of honesty.

Once you identify this person or persons, think about whether you pray for them. Do you spend time regularly offering them to God in prayer? Do you pray that God pours forth His grace and mercy upon them? This may be hard to do but it is one of the healthiest acts you can do. It may be difficult to show love and affection toward them, but it is not hard to consciously choose to pray for them.

Praying for those with whom we have a hard time is key to letting God foster a true love and concern in our hearts toward them. It’s a way of letting God reform our emotions and feelings so that we will no longer have to hold on to feelings of anger or even hate.

Commit yourself this day to prayer for the person you struggle with the most. This prayer will most likely not change your love for them over night, but if you commit to this form of prayer every day, over time God will slowly change your heart and free you of the burden of anger and hurt that may keep you from the love He wants you to have toward all people.

Lord, I pray for the person for whom You want me to pray. Help me to love all people and help me to especially love those who are hard to love. Reorder my feelings toward them and help me to be free of any anger. Jesus, I trust in You.

“But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well.”  Matthew 5:39

Ouch!  This is a hard teaching to embrace.

Did Jesus really mean this?  Often, when put in the situation where someone wrongs us or hurts us we can tend to immediately rationalize away this Gospel passage and presume it doesn’t apply to us.  Yes, it’s a hard teaching to believe and an even harder one to live.

What does it mean to “turn the other cheek?”  First, we should look at this on a literal level.  Jesus did mean what He said.  He is the perfect example of this.  Not only was He slapped on the cheek, He was also brutally beaten and hung on a cross.  And His response was, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”  Therefore, Jesus does not call us to do anything that He Himself was not willing to do.

Turning the other cheek does not mean that we need to cover up another’s abusive actions or words.  We ought not pretend that they have done nothing wrong.  Jesus Himself, in forgiving and in asking the Father to forgive, acknowledged the grave injustice He received at the hands of sinners.  But the key is that He did not allow Himself to be drawn into their malice.

Often times, when we feel like another flings mud at us, so to speak, we are tempted to fling it right back.  We are tempted to fight and push the bully back.  But the key to overcoming the malice and cruelty of another is to refuse to be drawn down into the mud.  Turning the other cheek is a way of saying that we refuse to degrade ourselves to foolish bickering or arguing.  We refuse to engage irrationality when we encounter it.  Instead, we choose to allow another to reveal their malice to themselves and to others by peacefully accepting it and forgiving.

This is not to say that Jesus wants us to perpetually live in abusive relationships that are more than we can handle.  But it does mean that we will all encounter injustice from time to time and we need to handle it with mercy and immediate forgiveness, and not become drawn into returning malice for malice.

Reflect, today, on any relationships that are difficult for you.  Especially reflect upon how ready you are to forgive and to turn the other cheek.  Doing this may just bring you the peace and freedom you seek in that relationship.

Lord, help me to imitate Your great mercy and forgiveness. 

Help me to forgive those who have hurt me and help me to rise above any injustice I encounter. 

Jesus, I trust in You.

“Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.” Matthew 5:25-26

That’s a scary thought! At first, this story could be seen to portray a complete lack of mercy. “You will not be released until you have paid the last penny.” But in fact, it’s an act of great love.

The key here is that Jesus wants us reconciled to Him and to one another. Specifically, He wants all anger, bitterness and resentment removed from our souls. That’s why He says to “Settle with your opponent quickly on the way to court with him.” In other words, apologize and be reconciled before you find yourself before the judgment seat of divine justice.

God’s justice is completely satisfied when we humble ourselves, apologize for our faults, and sincerely seek to make amends. With that, every “penny” is already paid. But what God does not accept is obstinacy. Obstinacy is a serious sin and one that cannot be forgiven unless the obstinacy is let go of. Obstinacy in refusing to admit our fault in a grievance is of the greatest concern. Obstinacy in our refusal to change our ways is also of great concern.

The penalty is that God will exercise His justice upon us until we finally repent. And this is an act of love and mercy on God’s part because His judgment is focused especially upon our sin which is the only thing standing in the way of our love of God and others.

Paying back the last penny can also be seen as an image of Purgatory. Jesus is telling us to change our lives now, to forgive and repent now. If we do not, we will still have to deal with those sins after death, but it’s much better to do so now.

Reflect upon what it is that you have to “settle with your opponent” today. Who is your opponent? Who is the one you have a grievance with today? Pray that God will show you the way to being freed of that burden so that you can enjoy true freedom!

Lord, help me to forgive and to forget. Help me to seek anything that keeps me from fully loving You and all my neighbours. Purify my heart, oh Lord. Jesus, I trust in You.

“Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.”   Matthew 5:18

This is an interesting statement from Jesus.  There are many things that could be said about it regarding the law and Jesus’ fulfillment of the law.  But one thing worth reflecting upon is the great lengths Jesus goes to identify the importance of not only one letter of the law, but more specifically, the smallest part of a letter.

The ultimate law of God, as brought to fulfillment in Christ Jesus, is love.  “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul and with all your strength.”  And, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  This is the ultimate fulfillment of the law of God.

If we look at this passage above, in light of the perfection of the law of love, we can hear Jesus saying that the details of love, even the smallest detail, is of grave importance.  In fact, the details are what makes love grow exponentially.  The smaller the detail one is attentive to in love of God and love of neighbor, the greater is the fulfillment of the law of love to the greatest degree.

Think, today, about those whom God has put in your life to love.  This would especially apply to family members and especially to spouses.  How attentive are you to every small act of kindness and compassion?  Do you regularly look for opportunities to offer an encouraging word?  Do you make an effort, even in the smallest of details, to show you care and are there and are concerned?  Love is in the details and the details magnify this glorious fulfillment of God’s law of love.

Lord, help me to be attentive to all the big and many small ways I am called to love You and others.  Help me, especially, to look for the smallest of opportunities to show this love and thus fulfill Your law.  Jesus, I trust in You.

“You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world.” Matthew 5:13a &14a
Salt and light, that’s us. Hopefully! Have you ever pondered what it means to be salt or light in this world?
Let’s start with this image. Imagine you cook some wonderful vegetable soup with all the best ingredients. It slowly simmers for hours and the broth looks very tasty. But the one thing you are out of is salt and other spices. So, you just let the soup simmer and hope for the best. Once it’s fully cooked you try a taste and, to your disappointment, it’s somewhat tasteless. So, you search until you find the missing ingredient, salt, and you add just the right amount. After another half hour of simmering you try a sample and are greatly delighted. It’s amazing what salt can do!

Or imagine going for a walk in the forest and getting lost. As you search for your way out, the sun sets and it slowly becomes dark. It’s overcast so there are no stars or moon. About a half hour after sunset you find yourself in complete darkness in the middle of the forest. As you sit there, you suddenly see the bright moon peek through the clouds. It’s a full moon and the overcast skies are clearing up. Suddenly, the full moon sheds so much light your way that you are able to once again navigate the dark forest.

These two images provide us with the importance of just a little salt and a little light. Just a little changes everything!

So it is with us in our faith. The world we live in is dark in so many ways. The “flavor” of love and mercy is also quite void. God is calling you to add that little flavor and produce that little light so that others can find their way.

Like the moon, you are not the source of light. You only reflect the light. God wants to shine through you and He wants you to reflect His light. If you are open to this, He will move the clouds at the right time so as to use you in the way He has chosen. Your responsibility is to simply be open.

Reflect, today, upon how open you are. Pray each day that God will use you in accord with His divine purpose. Make yourself available to His divine grace and you will be amazed at the way He can use the small things in your life to make a difference.

Lord, I do want to be used by You. I want to be salt and light. I want to make a difference in this world. I give myself to You and Your service. Jesus, I trust in You.

“How blest are…” –Matthew 5:3
The Beatitudes are eight circumstances in which we receive exceptional blessings. The Beatitudes are keys to living a life of blessing and of being a blessing (see Gn 12:2). Consequently, we may surmise that people would strongly desire to live the Beatitudes. Yet this is not the case.

Part of the problem is that few people know how great blessings are, because they do not understand well the meaning of blessings. Many people think that blessings are prayers for good things to happen. No, blessings are not prayers from us to God, but blessings are from God to and through us. Therefore, we are to bless only those whom we have been authorized by God to bless at the time and circumstances God has authorized. As we sing in the hymn, “Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow,” all blessings come from God. Blessings are creations by God, for when God speaks He creates (see Gn 1:3ff; cf Heb 11:3).

So blessings (beatitudes) are very important. The blessings at the end of Mass and in the other sacraments have the potential to re-create the world. Parents deprive their children of new life if they would fail to bless them daily. For those who understand blessing, benediction of the Blessed Sacrament is recognized as God creating.

PRAYER: Blessings are creations of God. Live the Beatitudes.
PROMISE: Father, teach me the basics of life in You.
PRAISE: “Ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the stream.” –1 Kgs 17:6
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