Lenten Message from Pope Francis from Fratelli Tutti 22
While one part of humanity
lives in opulence, another part sees its own dignity denied, scorned or trampled upon, and its fundamental rights discarded or violated.
TODAY'S WORD
"Be perfect, therefore as your Heavenly father is perfect." (Mathew 5:48)
TODAY'S REFLECTION
The season of Lent has a penitential character to it.
There is an emphasis on doing penance and making sacrifices, as well as fasting and to meditate on the sufferings of Jesus, especially in the devotion of the Way of the Cross.
All that have the objective of preparing ourselves for a renewal of faith as we journey on towards Easter.
This renewal of faith must begin from the covenantal relationship between God and us, and that is expressed in the 1st reading.
God takes us as His people and we pledge obedience and faithfulness to God by following His ways, keeping His statutes, His commandments and His ordinances.
The call of the gospel can be very challenging.
This morning’s gospel reading is probably one of the most challenging passages in all of the gospels.
Jesus calls on his disciples not only to love our neighbour, which is a call or command to be found in the Old Testament.
He also calls on them, on us, to love our enemy, which goes beyond anything to be found in the Old Testament.
Many of us might be hard pushed to think of someone who could be described as our enemy.
We might struggle to identify an enemy. Yet, we may be able to think of people who have hurt us or who damaged us in some way.
We are not likely to have warm feelings towards such people. When Jesus calls on his disciples to love their enemy, he is not talking about warm feelings or feelings of any kind.
Jesus is talking about the will rather than feelings.
At the very least, Jesus is calling on his disciples to wish their enemies well, all that is good.
In the gospel reading, Jesus identifies one expression of such love as prayer, praying for our enemy, praying for those who have hurt us and who have given us good reason to dislike them.
‘Love your enemy and pray…’ Jesus suggests that to pray for those who persecute us is to do something that has a divine quality to it.
It is to give expression to the love of God which goes out to all, even to those who least deserve it.
God is love and faithfulness. He is merciful, compassionate and forgiving.
RESOLUTION
More than just keeping to what God requires of us, let us resolve to grow to be like God.
As we journey on in Lent, let us try to enter deeper into God's love and strive to be perfect as He is perfect.
Have a Happie Saturday, fruitful weekend. Praying for the protesting farmers as well for the release of Fr. Stan Swamy. May all our prayer, fasting and almsgiving be directed towards this intention.