TUESDAY, ELEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
1 Kgs 21: 17-29; Ps 51: 3-6, 11, 16; Mt 5: 43-48
LOVE OVERCOMES ALL FEAR
Fear is a harmful passion that can cause the ruin of a person and his/her soul. The first reading tells us of one such fear that comes from a stubborn heart. We see that Ahab had become so stubborn by giving in to the silly desires of the heart, that he had to get what he wanted at any cost. He had lost control over himself and was afraid to go through pain, if his desires were not fulfilled.
Today, Jesus provides enough reasons for us to love our enemies. God created everything on earth. He is the same God who created the things we fear or despise, such as snakes, dangerous wild animals, and harmful plants. He also made those who tormented and despised us. We, too, have those who fear us and those whom we despise. We, in our human weakness, frequently act as victims, forgetting that others are also victims of our persecution. They regard us as their persecutors. In the above case, we would not want to be hated by others or referred to as persecutors.
We want to be loved by others, and others to feel safe when they are around us. Embracing love is the right formula for this. The love we have from God cures all evils in this world. When we fail to love, we hate. When we hate, evil spreads among us and we perish. When we love, we remove hate and goodness flourishes among us.
Let us obey today Jesus’ call to love our enemies because God loves them with the same measure He loves us. He does not discriminate against anybody. We also should follow God’s perfect example and extend our love to our adversaries, this great love will melt the hatred in our enemies, and we will all become children of our Heavenly Father. Let us pray that Jesus Christ, increase the love in our hearts so that we can spread this love throughout the world even to our enemies and we will eliminate all evil amongst us.
Response: Have mercy, O Lord, for we have sinned.
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