“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” – Luke 6:27-28

       And yes I’ve seen and have been to many fights during my violent fraternity days. You’d think I was tough, right? Wrong!

       Because none of those fights changed my life for the better. No matter how many bruises and how much battering my body received, it didn’t pacify the rebellion I had inside. The more I hated and the more evil I became!

       That’s why Proverbs 16:32 says, “Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who has self-control than one who takes a city.”

     The real fighter wins over himself. Then he can surround his opponents with a bigger circle of love, forgiveness and acceptance. To totally annihilate an enemy is to make him a friend.

       Today is the day that you move from the environment of hatred into a life of grace.

I love, I forgive, I move on! I am God’s Powerful Champion!” Obet Cabrillas (kpreacherobet@gmail.com)

Reflection: The battle isn’t yours alone. If it is, you’ll be a loser. The battle is the Lord’s! Be on the winning side!

St. Cyprian, pray for us.

The principle at stake here is that when interpreting the law and how it should be applied in a given situation, make sure that you are primarily guided by the call of true love. Even if you know that what you are doing is morally correct, if it would scandalize others and then cause them to sin because they cannot align their consciences with that truth, then we should avoid scandalizing the person to the point of refraining to act, provided that such is not sinful in itself.

1 Brothers and sisters: Knowledge inflates with pride, but love builds up. 2 If anyone supposes he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But if one loves God, one is known by him. 4 So about the eating of meat sacrificed to idols: we know that there is no idol in the world, and that there is no God but one. 5 Indeed, even though there are so-called gods in heaven and on earth (there are, to be sure, many “gods” and many “lords”), 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom all things are and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things are and through whom we exist. 7 But not all have this knowledge. There are some who have been so used to idolatry up until now that, when they eat meat sacrificed to idols, their conscience, which is weak, is defiled. 11 Thus through your knowledge, the weak person is brought to destruction, the brother for whom Christ died. 12 When you sin in this way against your brothers and wound their consciences, weak as they are, you are sinning against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food causes my brother to sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I may not cause my brother to sin.

R: Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.

1 O Lord, you have probed me and you know me; 2 you know when I sit and when I stand; you understand my thoughts from afar. 3 My journeys and my rest you scrutinize, with all my ways you are familiar. (R) 13 Truly you have formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. 14 I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made; wonderful are your works. (R) 23 Probe me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts. 24 See if my way is crooked, and lead me in the way of old. (R)

This is what true love boils down to — loving others even when there is little or no hope of being loved in return. A number of times in the Scriptures, this dynamic is made to give witness to the depth of God’s love for us in that He sent Jesus to die for us even while we were still sinners (Romans 5; John 3:16; 1 John). This is an incredibly powerful argument because we know its corollary is true, namely that we are inclined to do a good deed in return for another good deed.

If we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us.

27 Jesus said to his disciples: “To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you. 32 For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. 34 If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, and get back the same amount. 35 But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as also your Father is merciful. 37 Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. 38 Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”

think:  This is what true love boils down to — loving others even when there is little or no hope of being loved in return.

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Psalm 86-90

GOING THE EXTRA MILE

I wonder how Jesus’ listeners reacted to His words in today’s Gospel passage. Did they turn around and go away, saying, “That’s too much”?

       While most of the Ten Commandments begin with “Thou shall not,” Jesus gives us here a list of “Thou shall do.” And that makes it so difficult to practice what Jesus teaches here. It is easier to refrain from doing something bad than doing something extra. It is easier to avoid something not so good than going out of one’s way to do more than what was expected. The extra mile is a challenge that can make or break a Christian. I might say that I am as good a Christian as my neighbors, but Jesus challenges us to be better Christians than our neighbors. This is not to brag or to become proud, but to become more Christ-like. After all, Christ really went the extra mile.

       Jesus did the extra mile when He stood up from the Last Supper and washed the feet of His disciples. And in line with today’s Gospel passage, Jesus explained to His shocked disciples, “I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do” (John 13:15).

       Many see Christianity as a religion of prohibitions. But no! Christianity is a religion of “dos” rather than “don’ts.” Christianity is a religion of the positive rather than the negative. If only we would understand this, our

religion could become more a source of joy and happiness. Having done something positive, something extra, and seeing the effect on the recipient of our good deed, there is joy.

       I still have a photo from last year’s Easter Monday newspaper, which showed Pope Francis “taking a bath” in the crowd at St. Peter’s Square. He waved and smiled, kissed babies, and embraced a sick youth. He did not have to do this, but he went the extra mile.

       Mission impossible? No! We only need to overcome our laziness and selfishness to reach out and bring joy to others by going the extra mile. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Are you reluctant to do something extra for others? What hinders you from imitating Christ’s going the extra mile?

Lord, Your words seem demanding, but Your example is inspiring. Help me to reach out. Help me to do something extra for others and so bring joy to them.