The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge our culture that tends to divide people into those who are with us and those who are not by exhorting us to love all people.
The reading from the Book of Deuteronomy exhorts the people to follow the Law of God.
Psalm 119 praises the Glories of God’s Law.
* [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 teaches Love for 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 perisseuĊ) 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.
Steve Scholer comments that Jesus knew there was a better way, a better course of action, and ways in which we can purge our minds of hate, vengeance, and retaliation. In Matthew, he instructed his disciples (people who were persecuted daily for their beliefs) that they should … love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
As Christians, these are words we hold high and aspire to model. But it is not as easy as it sounds. Revenge rears its ugly head, and we feel compelled to act in a way that is contrary to what Jesus instructed his disciples to do.
As we continue our Lenten journey in this messy world of ours, pray to God for his guidance and help, that we can control our desire to strike back at each perceived harm inflicted upon us and to, instead, let the event pass so we can focus on the good Christ asks of us, the good we want to dedicate our lives to, rather than the evil we can bring to bear on others.
As so aptly said by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., an eye for an eye leaves us blinded. (Scholer, 2024)
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.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 5:43-48 notes that we all know how painful it can be when someone hurts us or betrays us. So how can we love them in these difficult situations?
The more you wrestle with loving those you find difficult to love, the more you show your heavenly Father’s perfection in your life. You’ll get better at loving everyone because practice does make perfect!
“Lord, help me to love not just when it’s easy, but even when it’s hard!” (Meditation on Matthew 5:43-48, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the two ways described in Deuteronomy, righteousness or death. In the passage from the Sermon on the Mount, today, Jesus expands Hebrew Testament teaching to love everyone, as we appreciate the brokenness and wounded nature of our neighbours. Friar Jude reminds us that Jesus was not seeking perfectionism or scrupulosity but our being perfect in love extended to everyone without bounds.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces public theologian Kate Bowler who shares a reflection for times when we aren’t sure of our next move.
I had a very tender podcast conversation with theologian and ethicist Stanley Hauerwas. We have worked together for almost two decades now, and I rely on him to be incredibly certain about what makes a life good and virtuous…. After describing how many twists and turns that life had taken, he had come to a conclusion: “The ability to live well is the ability to live without so many certainties.”
We will have to develop a high tolerance for having so little control and so few bedrock assumptions. So let’s ask our God to “unplan” our days a little and help us live that way. (Rohr, 2024)
We invoke the help of the Spirit to transform our tendency to disregard some people to one that recognizes them as children of God.
References
Deuteronomy, CHAPTER 26 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 24, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/deuteronomy/26?16
Matthew, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 24, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/5?43
Meditation on Matthew 5:43-48. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved February 24, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/02/24/901219/
Psalms, PSALM 119 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 24, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/119?1
Rohr, R. (2024, February 24). Life as a Spiritual Journey: Weekly Summary — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved February 24, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/life-as-a-spiritual-journey-weekly-summary/
Scholer, S. (2024, February 24). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved February 24, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/022424.html
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