Reflection for Tuesday, Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

Today's Word

By


Fr. Aloysius Santiago sdb
Rector and Parish Priest
Don Bosco Shrine
Lingarajapuram, Bangalore

Mathew: 5:44 "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father,"


Today's Reflection

In today’s first reading, Saint Paul calls on the church of Corinth to give generously to what he calls ‘this work of mercy’.

He is referring to a collection he is taking up among his churches for the Jewish Christian church in Jerusalem, who were materially impoverished, relative to the churches Paul founded.

To motivate the church of Corinth to give generously, Paul mentions how generous other churches have been to this collection, in particular the churches in Macedonia, in northern Greece.

As an even greater motivation, Paul puts before the church of Corinth the generosity of Jesus, who, as Paul says, ‘was rich’ but ‘became poor for your sake, to make you rich out of his poverty’.

In what sense was Jesus rich? He was rich with the life of God.

However, in becoming human, he became poor, giving himself over to the limitations of the human condition, surrendering himself even to death on a cross.

As Paul says in another letter, Jesus ‘emptied himself, taking the form of a servant’.

He did this, according to Paul in our reading, to make us rich out of his poverty.

Jesus’ becoming poor, through becoming fully human, enabled him to pour the Spirit of God, the very life of God into our hearts.

We have all been enriched through Jesus’ generosity, his voluntary poverty.

It is only because we have been enriched with the life of God, the Spirit of God, that we can respond to the demanding call of Jesus in today’s gospel reading, to be as perfect as God is perfect, to be indiscriminate in our loving as God is.

If we are to respond in some way to this gospel call, we have to keep opening ourselves to the riches of God’s life, God’s love, that Jesus continues to pour into our hearts.


Resolution

Let's resolve to be merciful as the heavenly father is merciful

Good Morning

God bless you and your family.

Have a forgiving day