* Mengasihi mereka yang tidak mengasihi kita.
* Love your enemies and pray for them.
* Love one another.
#
DARI atas kayu salib, Kristus mengajarkan kita untuk mengasihi bahkan mereka yang tidak mengasihi kita
*Paus Fransiskus*
#
Saturday, 24th FEBRUARY
Love your enemies and pray for them
Matthew 5:43-48
"I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?...You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect"
To hold a grudge is like building a prison and locking oneself inside. We have to ask Jesus for the gift of being able to love everyone, no matter what they do or think or say. That is to be like our heavenly Father: Perfect in Love.
St John of the Cross has given us a great piece of advice: "Where there is no love, put love - and you will draw out love."
"If you love those who love you, what reward have you?" That is very easy! But to love those who despise you, who scorn you, who insult you... That is very 'virtuous'!
In 1993 Cardinal Joseph Bernardin was falsely accused by a young fellow of improper conduct. The story was spun by the media and a big campaign flared up against him. He confessed later that his internal suffering during that time would hardly be endurable were it not for his faith and knowledge of his innocence. After three months of ordeal and media persecution, his accuser admitted that the accusation was false. Soon after, Stephen (the accuser) was dying from AIDS in a hospital bed. Cardinal Bernardin went to visit him. The poor man apologised for the wrongs he had committed against the Cardinal. Bernardin forgave him immediately and with affection, becoming concerned only with Stephen's spiritual health and making sure that he could prepare himself properly for his death.
This has been the example of the saints. As soon as he managed, St John Paul II went to visit Ali Agca, the man who shot him. There, in his prison, Ali Agca was forgiven and ended up kissing the hand of the Pope he had tried to kill just a few weeks before.
Mary, Mother of Mercy, help me to forgive everyone… everything… always… and to bring to your Son in my prayer those who offend me in any way
#
Commentary of the day :
Saint Jerome (347-420), priest, translator of the Bible, Doctor of the Church
Commentary on the Letter to the Galatians, L3 ch. 6
* Love one another
Love of neighbor: mutual assistance and kindness; drawing from the source of divine goodness
"So then, while we have the opportunity, let us do good to all, but especially to those who belong to the family of the faith" (Gal 6:10). This present time, the time during which the course of our life runs, is the time of sowing. During this life we can sow whatever we wish. When this life has run its course the time of activity will be taken away. That is why our Savior says: "Work while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work" (Jn 9:4).
Whether we are sick or well, of low or high degree, poor or rich, starving or well fed, let us do everything patiently in the name of the Lord with equanimity of soul. Then the words of Scripture will be accomplished in us: "All things work for good for those who love God" (Rom 8:28). Even anger, passion, insults that cry out for revenge, become so many occasions of victory for me if I master myself, if I maintain silence for God's sake, if, through each wounding sting and under the pressure of vice, I think of God looking at me from on high.
When we distribute gifts don't let us say: this one is a friend, that one I don't know, this one deserves to receive, that one should be overlooked. Let us imitate our Father "who makes his sun rise on the bad and the good and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust" (Mt 5:45). The source of his bounty is open to all. Slave and free, commoner and king, rich and poor, all drink freely from it. The lighted lamp in the house gives light to all without distinction.
At the end of his life, when he could no longer express his thoughts in an extended narrative, Saint John the Evangelist only had this word to offer: "My little children, love one another" (cf. Jn 13:34). In the end his disciples said to him: "Master, why are you always telling us this?" John replied with this statement worthy of himself: "Because this is the teaching of the Lord; only fulfil it and that is enough
#
24 FEBRUARY, 2018, Saturday, 1st Week, Lent
CONVERSION AS RESTORATION AND PERFECTION OF THE DIGNITY OF OUR SONSHIP IN CHRIST
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [DT 26:16-19; MT 5:43-48 ]
In the first reading we are reminded that we are chosen to be God's people. Like the Israelites, we were nobody, but God called us. "Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." (1 Pt 2:10) But we are not only called to be God's people and His subjects, but also His sons and daughters. "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs — heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ." (Rom 8:16f)
To be called God's people and His children is a great privilege. But it entails obligations arising from our dignity as God's people and His children as well. Office always comes with responsibility. So what are the implications of being the people of God? As the people of God, we must show ourselves as God's people by our way of life. How?
In the first place, we must remember that we are chosen and saved, not as individuals but as a people. The covenant that God made with Moses was not with some individuals but with a community. The plan of God is that we will be His people so that He will be our God. Necessarily, the first obligation as a member of the Chosen People of God is to strive to live a life of unity and charity among ourselves, which is reflective of the Trinitarian inner life of God. We are called to be a covenanted people, living a covenanted life; a life based on justice, equality and above all, charity and compassion. Only by subscribing to such fundamental values of the Covenant, can the community be preserved in love and unity.
Indeed the purpose of the commandments that God gave to the people through Moses is to help them to live in unity. They are guidelines to provide them direction in their relationship with God and with each other. Commandments therefore are not the ends themselves, but they are at the service of love and unity, otherwise, the commandments become means to discriminate people and penalize those who fail.
Secondly, we must recognize His Lordship over us. If we are God's people, we must realize that God is our Lord and our king, we are His subjects. Hence, we must surrender everything to His Lordship. We must obey Him in all things. We cannot claim Jesus as our Lord so long as we continue to control our lives according to our whims and fancies. 'Jesus is Lord' is more than just a verbal acclamation but it means subjecting ourselves to the kingdom values as enunciated in the Sermon of the Mount (cf Mt 5-7) on how, as Christians, we are expected to conduct ourselves.
Thirdly, we must be consecrated to Him. We must consecrate our whole life, soul and being, returning to Him what He has given to us. To be consecrated to the Lord is to be called to holiness. "Be holy because I am holy." (Lev 11:45 cf 1 Pt 1:16) Holiness is to be set apart. This means that we must set ourselves apart for the service of our Lord and king. All that we have, all that we are, our thoughts, our will and love must totally be given to the Lord for the service of His Kingdom and His people. Whether we are working in the Church, at home or working in the world, what makes us holy is when we do everything for the glory of His name and for the love of Him and His people. A person is holy when he recognizes that all he has comes from God and belongs to God alone. Because everything comes from Him and we all belong to Him, it is only right that we give everything back to God.
But God is not contented to choose us as His people. He wants us to be more than His subjects. As Christians we are His sons and daughters because He is our Father and we share in His divine nature. He wants each of us to reflect the perfection of God. The implication is to reflect the face of God. "You must therefore be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect." We must reflect the glory of God in us. Hence, we must go beyond just observance of the laws to the way God loves us.
Yesterday's gospel says that our virtues must go deeper than the scribes and Pharisees, otherwise we cannot enter the Kingdom of God. We must not conduct ourselves in a legalistic manner like the Jewish leaders and end up being self-righteous and judgmental of others. We are to go beyond the mere observance of the laws to the spirit of the laws. For all laws in the final analysis is for the service of love. St Paul says, "Avoid getting into debt, except the debt of mutual love. If you love your fellowmen, you have fulfilled the laws." (Rom 13:8)
This means that we must love like the Father. He is the Father of all humanity. As sons and daughters of the Father, we must consider others as our brothers and sisters. It is not enough, as Jesus said, to love our loved ones or even our fellow Christians. But our love must be given to all, regardless of language, race or religion. Everyone is to be regarded as our brother and sister if we dare to claim that God is our Father. As Jesus said, "For if you love those who love you, what right have you to claim any credit? Even the tax collectors do as much, do they not?" Unfortunately, most of us tend to restrict our love to those who are our friends, those who think like us, perhaps our fellow Christians, but we disregard others who do not share our faith or our interests. Even within Church ministry, members tend to be cliquish and would only mix with their own members; or worse still, only with selected friends within the ministry.
However, even if we love our brothers and sisters, we are still not anywhere near the perfection of God. We are called to forgive and love our enemies so that they do not come under the reign of Satan. Jesus said, "You have learnt how it was said: You must love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I say this to you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you; in this way you will be sons of your Father in heaven, for he causes the sun to rise on bad men as well as good, and his rain to fall on honest and dishonest men alike." This was the very life of the Father and the attitude of Jesus towards His enemies. Even when we reject God again and again, He would forgive us and embrace us. Jesus, in His passion and death, shows us what it takes to love our enemies. On the cross, not only did Jesus forgive His enemies, but He prayed for them. As if it was not sufficient proof of His love for us, He even made excuses for His enemies "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing." (Lk 23:34) The call to love our enemies, to forgive and do good to those who can't repay us, is in order that we reflect the glory of God in us.
How can this be possible? Perfection is only possible by inserting ourselves into the paschal mystery of Christ, sharing in His death and resurrection at baptism. By baptism too, we share in Christ's sonship and receive His Spirit to act like sons. Through baptism, we belong to the new people of God. The Church, which is the community of grace and the body of Christ, will assist us to live out our identity as God's children. Indeed, we need each other to live out this calling to be God's people and His children.
We must now reclaim our gift of sonship through repentance, prayer and Christian living, and most of all, by reflecting on God's perfect love for us during this season of Lent. God's love for us is everlasting. To reflect the glory of God is to live a life that claims this love of the Father for our parents, friends and fellow human beings. This love is especially seen in Christ who is the love of God in person. Jesus is the compassion and forgiveness of God.
At the same time, we are aware that we are only living out our finite and conditional love in life which is founded in God's love. We cannot love perfectly as parents, children and friends. We cannot love with unlimited and unconditional love. Human love will always be inadequate and often disappointing. But that should not throw us into despair because God's unconditional love will heal us. We also become more compassionate, but we should not expect that we can love exactly like God. What is important is that we are trying to perfect our love after our heavenly Father. That is why we should, and we can, forgive each other in our failures in love, since we too fail in our love for God and for our fellowmen occasionally.
Lent is a time to prepare us to renew our baptismal calling. The focus is not on fasting and prayer alone. The spiritual exercises are means to help restore our dignity as baptized Christians, called to be the people of God and sons and daughters of God. This necessitates a greater awareness of what our calling entails. Let us therefore, whilst fasting, praying and doing works of charity, come from a consciousness of who we are before God, His chosen people and His children.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
#
No comments:
Post a Comment
Do U have another idea ?
LET'S SHARE 2 US.