Gospel: Luke 6:27-38
Jesus said to his disciples: “To you who hear
I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse
you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one
cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak,
do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the
one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Do to others as you would
have them do to you. For if you love those who love you what credit is that to
you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do
good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. If you lend
money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even
sinners lend to sinners, and get back the same amount. But rather, love your
enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward
will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind
to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as also your Father is
merciful.
“Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop
condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken
down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which
you measure will in return be measured out to you.
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Reflection:
A man would always feel pain in his heart
whenever he sees her sister who had done him wrong. It was always like that for
many years until he had a near fatal heart attack. He reflected deeply about
what happened to him until he finally decided to forgive his sister.
What will liberate us from hatred and negative
emotion? Its forgiveness and love. The moment we truly forgive and love every
form of hatred and negativity disappears in our hearts. We become free we exude
nothing but positive aura to our fellowmen. But human as we are we from time to
time succumb to hatred thus we allow it to control us instead of us controlling
it.
What is the cure for hatred? Its love,
forgiveness and humility; these three can conquer hatred. And it can free us
from emotions that bring nothing to us but disgust and negativity. This could
even result to the disruption of our day hence we will not be able to function
properly.
In our gospel reading Jesus tells us to love
our enemies, to do good to those who hate us, to bless those who curse us, to
pray for those who mistreat us (Luke 6:27-28). Difficult as it may seem; nonetheless
if we want to be free from the enslavement of hatred and negative emotions, we
have to follow what Jesus is telling us.
It’s only through forgiveness that we would be
free from hatred. It’s only through the way of love that we could become true
followers of Jesus. There’s no other way but the way of love and forgiveness.
Would you be willing to forgive those who’ve done
you wrong? - Marino J. Dasmarinas
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