Gospel: Matthew 5:38-48
Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, An eye for
an eye and a tooth for a tooth. 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
as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand over your
cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go for two miles.
Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to
borrow.
“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, 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. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?
Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only,
what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just
as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
The story is told
about a wife who discovered that her husband was engaged into an adulterous
relationship. The wife calmly told her husband, “You have to stop it otherwise
I will live a quite life by myself.” The adulterous and arrogant husband did
not stop and continued living his sinful life.
So, the woman left and she lived a quiet and righteous life by herself
until she died.
Jesus in our gospel
gives us a blueprint on how we would act to those who did us wrong and to those
who continue to do us wrong. Don’t get even and don’t fight fire with fire.
Why? Because when we get even and when we fight fire with fire we are sucked
into the sinful lifestyle of those people who do us wrong. We simply become
like them; we embrace evil as they’ve embraced evil.
When we don’t fight
fire with fire we always occupy the moral high ground and we refuse to be
brought down to the gutter that they are in. We also give them an option to
redeem themselves by inviting them to reflect on how we responded to the wrong
that they’ve done. Thus, they might decide to renew their lives and permanently
walk away from anything that make them sin.
The way of Jesus is
always the right way it maybe hard to walk on that way but that is the right
way. The way of the Lord is the way of non-violence to fight evil. The way of
turning the other cheek to be slapped all over again. With the prayer in mind
that those who did us wrong and who continue to do us wrong will have a
conversion experience before it’s too late. -
Marino J. Dasmarinas
No comments:
Post a Comment