“For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?”
Matthew 5:46
Reflection
Jesus tells his disciples to love their enemies instead of hating them. They should pray for those who persecute them and greet people other than their brothers, for even the pagans do that.
Once again, we find a teaching that can be difficult to put into practice. Loving our enemies seems counterintuitive. Yet Christ demands we love them and even pray for them. It is crucial to pray for those who are full of hate; we want their hearts to be opened to God and his merciful love.
Likewise, if we only love people who love us, or greet our friends and not strangers, we are no better than those we look down upon. If we never interact with someone we disagree with or dislike, we never have the chance to evangelize and potentially bring Christ into their lives. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with courage to love those who you normally would not, and to pray for all those who persecute Christians.
Saint of the Day
St. John Francis Regis: 1597 – 1640
| “The most abandoned souls are those most loved by the Heart of Jesus.” St. John Francis Regis |
The Healing Word 