Covenant of Care

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today remind us of the mission of Christians to care and extend the love to those we may consider enemies.

Care and Enemies

1st Reading from the Book of Deuteronomy proclaims today you have accepted the LORD’s agreement.

l. [26:16–19] Dt 7:6; 8:6; 10:12–13; 11:22; 14:2; 27:9; 28:1, 9; 29:12–13; Ex 6:7; 19:5–6; 24:7; Lv 26:12; 2 Sm 7:24; Jer 7:23; 31:33; Ez 11:20; Hos 2:23. (Deuteronomy, CHAPTER 26 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 119 praises God for such splendid laws and instruction for people to live by.

* [Psalm 119] This Psalm, the longest by far in the Psalter, praises God for giving such splendid laws and instruction for people to live by. The author glorifies and thanks God for the Torah, prays for protection from sinners enraged by others’ fidelity to the law, laments the cost of obedience, delights in the law’s consolations, begs for wisdom to understand the precepts, and asks for the rewards of keeping them. (Psalms, PSALM 119 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus exhorts us to Love of Enemies.

* [5:43–48] See Lv 19:18. There is no Old Testament commandment demanding hatred of one’s enemy, but the “neighbor” of the love commandment was understood as one’s fellow countryman. Both in the Old Testament (Ps 139:19–22) and at Qumran (1QS 9:21) hatred of evil persons is assumed to be right. Jesus extends the love commandment to the enemy and the persecutor. His disciples, as children of God, must imitate the example of their Father, who grants his gifts of sun and rain to both the good and the bad.

* [5:46] Tax collectors: Jews who were engaged in the collection of indirect taxes such as tolls and customs. See note on Mk 2:14.

* [5:47] Jesus’ disciples must not be content with merely usual standards of conduct; see Mt 5:20 where the verb “surpass” (Greek perisseuō) is cognate with the unusual (perisson) of this verse.

* [5:48] Perfect: in the gospels this word occurs only in Matthew, here and in Mt 19:21. The Lucan parallel (Lk 6:36) demands that the disciples be merciful. (Deuteronomy, CHAPTER 26 | USCCB, n.d.)

Edward Morse comments that the human condition is regularly wayward and in tension with God’s laws, even when we know better. Mounting evidence demonstrates that keeping our side of this bargain is likely impossible. We require help.

Fellow pilgrims, take courage. We have the sacraments to sustain us and encouragement from one another to help us when the journey is difficult. Do not be dismayed at these hard messages. Their hardness is like a tillage tool that can break through the compaction that covers our hearts and the dullness that affects our sensibilities. Hardness and dullness prevent us from participating in the life to which we are called. We need grace to transform us and to show us how we can love, forgive, and be fully alive. We are all in messes that we have helped to create, and we need a Savior to rescue us and dispense mercy instead of the justice we deserve.

Our Lord is calling us to come, to listen, and to learn from Him. And He asks us to come now, today. Let us arise and respond to His call. (Morse, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “The gift to love all people - even enemies,” by Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"Beg God for the gift to love one another. Love all people, even your enemies, not because they are your brothers and sisters but that they may become such. Love them in order that you may be at all times on fire with love, whether toward those who have become your brothers and sisters or toward your enemies, so that by being beloved they may become your brothers and sisters." (excerpt from Sermon on 1 John 10,7) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler was not available at publication time.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 5:43-48 As we cooperate with the Spirit, we grow in our ability to love as he loved—even to love those who hate us. We gradually fulfill the purpose for which he made us. And that’s perfection!

Remember, Jesus knows your weaknesses, limitations, and sins. But he also knows the power of his Holy Spirit and the sanctifying, “perfecting” grace he offers you every time you encounter him in the sacraments. He knows that this kind of love is possible. He is with you to help you be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect. So let him sustain you. Let him strengthen you. And above all, let him love you!

“Jesus, open my heart to your grace today, that I might begin to love more perfectly.” (Meditation on Matthew 5:43-48, n.d.)

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Rabbi Sharon Brous who recounts an experience of learning how to travel light. The Isrealites were carrying heavy, broken stone tablets on their backs through the desert … for forty years? There’s nothing trivial about that.

The lesson here is not only that those shards retained their holiness. It’s that they may have been even more precious than the intact tablets. It’s the broken pieces that tell a story of loss and failure, rage and redemption. They remind us how much we can hurt those we love, and they represent the possibility of forgiveness. They are imperfect, just as we are. An eternal reminder of how fragile it all is….

The holy ark is the model for the hearts we strive to cultivate: capacious enough to hold the whole and the broken, all at once. There is simply no way to disentangle the two. Life is a sacred fusion of sorrow and celebration. And all of it is holy. (Rohr, n.d.)

We seek the inspiration of the Spirit to engage the world with gratitude and thanksgiving as our initiation into loving our enemies.

References

Deuteronomy, CHAPTER 26 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 28, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/deuteronomy/26?16 

Matthew, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 28, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/5?43 

Meditation on Matthew 5:43-48. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved February 28, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/02/28/1510037/ 

Morse, E. (n.d.). Daily Reflections. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved February 28, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-february-28-2026 

Psalms, PSALM 119 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 28, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/119?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved February 28, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/exodus-a-journey-for-freedom-weekly-summary/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Love and Pray for Your Enemies. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 28, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/  

Extending our Care and Concern

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to examine the role of our individual responsibility to be examples of faith, hope, and love in our community and ambassadors of Christ.

Responsibility and Faith

The Reading from the Prophet Ezekiel examines Personal Responsibility across Generations.

* [18:25] The LORD’s way is not fair: this chapter rejects the idea that punishment is transferred from one generation to the next and emphasizes individual responsibility and accountability. (Ezekiel, CHAPTER 18 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 130 cries to God asking for mercy.

* [Psalm 130] This lament, a Penitential Psalm, is the De profundis used in liturgical prayers for the faithful departed. In deep sorrow the psalmist cries to God (Ps 130:1–2), asking for mercy (Ps 130:3–4). The psalmist’s trust (Ps 130:5–6) becomes a model for the people (Ps 130:7–8). (Psalms, PSALM 130 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus extends the Teaching About Anger.

* [5:22–26] Reconciliation with an offended brother is urged in the admonition of Mt 5:23–24 and the parable of Mt 5:25–26 (//Lk 12:58–59). The severity of the judge in the parable is a warning of the fate of unrepentant sinners in the coming judgment by God.

* [5:22] Anger is the motive behind murder, as the insulting epithets are steps that may lead to it. They, as well as the deed, are all forbidden. Raqa: an Aramaic word rēqā’ or rēqâ probably meaning “imbecile,” “blockhead,” a term of abuse. The ascending order of punishment, judgment (by a local council?), trial before the Sanhedrin, condemnation to Gehenna, points to a higher degree of seriousness in each of the offenses. Sanhedrin: the highest judicial body of Judaism. Gehenna: in Hebrew gê-hinnōm, “Valley of Hinnom,” or gê ben-hinnōm, “Valley of the son of Hinnom,” southwest of Jerusalem, the center of an idolatrous cult during the monarchy in which children were offered in sacrifice (see 2 Kgs 23:10; Jer 7:31). In Jos 18:16 (Septuagint, Codex Vaticanus) the Hebrew is transliterated into Greek as gaienna, which appears in the New Testament as geenna. The concept of punishment of sinners by fire either after death or after the final judgment is found in Jewish apocalyptic literature (e.g., Enoch 90:26) but the name geenna is first given to the place of punishment in the New Testament. (Matthew, CHAPTER 5, n.d.)

Suzanne Braddock asks “How can I ever live up to what Jesus is asking of us?”

I ask myself do I have a grudge, an unwillingness to forgive? Do I harbor anger or resentment? Have my actions caused someone to feel this way toward me? Sure, sometimes how others feel is beyond my control, but if I can, I will approach anyone such as this with love, reconciliation, and prayer. Let them free up their soul space to allow Love to come in. Then you find you have freed up a bit of space in your own heart as well. Then you both enter the Kingdom. (Braddock, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Are you ashamed to ask pardon?” by Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"How many there are who know that they have sinned against their brothers or sisters and yet are unwilling to say: 'Forgive me.' They were not ashamed to sin, but they are ashamed to ask pardon. They were not ashamed of their evil act, but they blush where humility is concerned." (excerpt from Sermon 211,4) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler notes that Ezekiel prophesied in Babylon and addressed the justice of God  about evil and punishment and the consequences of turning from from good to evil. We don’t build up credits with God, who is just in His treatment of all people. The Pharisees wanted to widely interpret the Laws scrupulously but Jesus extends the Law in a spiritual way. How do we kill life and hope? We need to treat all with sacred dignity. The Gospel refers to the Temple dump as a kind of place of symbol for Hell.  Friar Jude underlines that Jesus' teaching requires us to treat all with the respect we treat the Tabernacle that contains the Presence just like all people who are children of God. 

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 5:20-26 notes that we offer to the Lord, not animals or grain, but our own lives. Jesus gathers these offerings and unites them to the sacrifice of his own Body and Blood as one offering to his Father. What if we were to offer Jesus our repentance for hurting someone—and our willingness to humbly reconcile with them? What if we offered our forgiveness of the people who have hurt us? Those would be precious gifts indeed!

Today ask the Spirit to show you if you are harboring resentment against anyone. If so, ask for the grace to forgive. If the offense is too big or your emotions are too strong, then offer your pain to the Lord. Try your best to surrender it into his hands and ask him to help you take the next step toward forgiveness. And if you have offended someone, try to apologize and reconcile with that person. Then, the next time you are at Mass, offer these “gifts” to Jesus. Come to the altar to receive the greatest gift of all—the Body and Blood of your Savior!

“Jesus, I offer you my heart of mercy!” (Meditation on Matthew 5:20-26, n.d.)

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, invites us to take a journey of faith. It may be plagued by uncertainty, but we can trust in God’s presence along the way. We want certitude, but instead God asks us to have faith.

Our faith and our trust, then, are in God—not in our own cleverness, strategies, or planning, not in our status or money. In the desert, all our idols are taken away from us and our security is gone. The desert, the darkness, is the school of surrender, the place for learning total dependence on God. (Rohr, n.d.)

We ask the Spirit for guidance and consolation as we accept the invitation of God to explore our lives with the desert mentality that focuses our attention on our dependence on the Presence of God.

References

Braddock, S. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved February 27, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-february-27-2026 

Ezekiel, CHAPTER 18 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 27, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ezekiel/18?21 

Matthew, CHAPTER 5. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved February 27, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/5?20 

Meditation on Matthew 5:20-26. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved February 27, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/02/27/1509541/ 

Psalms, PSALM 130 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 27, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/130?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). How Do We Reach the Promised Land? Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved February 27, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/how-do-we-reach-the-promised-land/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Do Not Be Angry, Be Reconciled. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 27, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/