GOSPEL POWER | JUNE 15, 2021 | TUESDAY | 11th Week in Ordinary Time 

Gospel: Mt 5: 43 – 48

Jesus said to his disciples, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Reflection

Hating one’s enemy is the usual and expected way of acting  in the world. But Jesus wants his followers to make a  difference in the world and thus manifest their divine  paternity by loving their enemies. Jesus knows that the human heart  cannot be forced to act benevolently toward one’s enemies, so what  he explicitly recommends as a way of concretizing this love is by  praying for them. In prayer, we put our enemies in touch with God,  who alone can change them and change also the way we look at  them. Under God’s paternity, we are all siblings, whether we label  one another as “friends” or “enemies.” No one is excluded from God’s  paternal care. Such non-discriminatory love is an expression of God’s  perfection, which Jesus invites us to mirror in our lives

Prayer

Lord Jesus, help us to see our enemies as our siblings, children of the same  loving Father. Amen