Cycle A - Year II:  

23 February 2020: Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical Color: Green)

Readings:

First Reading:        Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18

Second Reading:   1 Corinthians 3:16-23

Gospel:  Please Read  Matthew 5:38-48

"God's all-encompassing love!"

We are now in the last week of February, the month which is traditionally a celebration of love that is observed in many cultures around the world.  The highlight of such celebration was Valentine's Day last February 14, when we shared flowers, gifts and other symbols of love with dear ones and special someone.

But then, is our love meant only for good people dear to us, or those that we care about?

In this Sunday's Gospel, our Lord Jesus Christ challenges us to get out of our "comfort zone" and embrace all people with love.  Because our love for God must conquer all, the good people and the bad people as well.  For God's is a generous love, as He allows the sun to shine and the rain to pour on everyone.  For God's is an all-embracing love!

Now, as we enter any Catholic Church in the world, Jesus is there: waiting for us with the greatest love the world has known.  The Crucified and Risen Jesus, truly present in the Most Blessed Sacrament in each Tabernacle, awaits us, with an everlasting and all-encompassing love.  For He makes no distinctions nor excludes anybody.  He welcomes all with His love.... the sinners and the saints.

Let us reflect on God's all embracing LOVE:

Jesus makes it clear that in God's love there is no room for retaliation.  He wants His followers to avoid returning evil for evil, but instead must seek the good, even of those who may wish them ill or harm.

It does not mean, however, that as believers in and followers of Christ we remain passive before evil and injustice happening around us.  No of course, and we must fight evil and injustice in our world, but not out of personal revenge and retaliation but conquering them with love and good deeds.  Is this impossible and impractical?

Well, let us ask ourselves what really makes Christianity distinct from other religions.  In reality, it is God's grace, meaning treating others not as they deserved, but as God wishes them to be treated by us, and that is, with loving kindness and mercy, just as the Father has treated our sinfulness with kindness and mercy as well. Because we leave to God alone to render justice to those who do us wrong.

And if we think that Christianity in this sense is hard and difficult to practice, the forgiving Christ on the Cross is our model.  Only the Cross of Jesus Christ can free us from the tyranny of malice, revenge, and resentment, and gives us the courage to return evil done to us with good deeds.  And with God's grace, it gives us the power to heal and be saved from our own destruction.

Incidentally, remember the warning of Jesus in the beginning of today's Gospel about taking revenge: "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth"?  Now in practical sense, if we persist in applying this old law of humanity....... sooner or later we will become a blind and toothless society!

A blessed Sunday to us all.  And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!