“You shall not go about spreading slander among your kin… Take no revenge and cherish no grudge… You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” – Leviticus 19:16,18

     I have a confession to make. I’m a certified nutcase for this phenomenal love team the country was gaga over a year ago. Well, not to the extent of joining a fans club or following them to location shoots or collecting all the magazines with their faces on them. I just stalk them on social media.

         It’s appalling to see how bashers and haters are so filled with envy that they’d do anything to try and bring this love team down. They pose as fake fans to spread rumors and incite negative comments. Loyal fans call them negatrons. Clearly, they are minions of the dark side.

         I find it admirable how the love team and the enlightened members of the fandom deal with these negative people. They take no revenge and just encourage each other to spread good vibes. This is what makes the love team and their “nation” truly phenomenal. And this is how God wants us to love others, negatrons or otherwise. Lella M. Santiago (lellams88@gmail.com)

Reflection:You have a choice in dealing with negative people. You can either spread good vibes or make yourself miserable like them.

Help me to follow Your code of conduct, Lord, and not give in to the negativity around me.

Hatred is refusing to love another person. The Church teaches us to love everyone, even those who are difficult to love. The only thing we are allowed to hate is sin. Let us heed the call to love and prevent hatred from ruining our relationships.

1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the whole assembly of the children of Israel and tell them: Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy. 11 “You shall not steal. You shall not lie or speak falsely to one another. 12 You shall not swear falsely by my name, thus profaning the name of your God. I am the Lord. 13 “You shall not defraud or rob your neighbor. You shall not withhold overnight the wages of your day laborer.14 You shall not curse the deaf, or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but you shall fear your God. I am the Lord. 15 “You shall not act dishonestly in rendering judgment. Show neither partiality to the weak nor deference to the mighty, but judge your fellow men justly. 16 You shall not go about spreading slander among your kin; nor shall you stand by idly when your neighbor’s life is at stake. I am the Lord. 17 “You shall not bear hatred for your brother in your heart. Though you may have to reprove him, do not incur sin because of him. 18 Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”

R: Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

7 [8] The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The decree of the Lord is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple. (R) 8 [9] The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The command of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eye. (R) 9 [10] The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are true, all of them just. (R) 14 [15] Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart find favor before you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. (R)

This is a wonderful parable about what love demands from us in terms of our relationships. It is important to always remember this truth so that we can avoid the destructive choices that lead to disunity and, ultimately, war. This pattern is all too evident in the years past as we reflect upon our forebears refusal to love. There are always opportunities to act upon the command to love. 

Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

31 Jesus said to his disciples: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, 32 and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ 40 And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ 41 Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’ 44 Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’ 45 He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’ 46 And these will go off to eternal  punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

think: When have you been hungry, thirsty, a stranger, in need of clothes, sick or imprisoned, and someone reached out to you? How did it feel?

Read the Bible in one year 1 John 1-5

T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST

thank You, Lord, for: ______________________________________________________

AFRAID OF THE LAST JUDGMENT

Doesn’t “Gospel” mean “Good News”? Are we responding to every reading of the Gospel with “Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ,” even after listening to today’s horrible picture about the Last Judgment? Yes, some are invited into eternal glory, but the divine Judge condemns the “goats” to eternal damnation. Is this good news?

       If only we would listen to the Gospel readings with the conviction that God is loving, merciful and compassionate, we will discover some good news even in frightening passages. We cannot help it that we are judged continuously by people around us. They judge us for our failures, for our laziness, for our stupidity, etc., whether real or imagined. And their judgment is often, if not most of the time, unfair. The media judge everything and everyone and find them guilty. Isn’t it good news that in the end, the only judgment that actually matters is presided over by a loving and merciful God?

       We will never appear innocent as lambs, perfect and all-holy before God. But our divine Judge knows how fragile and weak we human beings are. He does not focus on what we have done wrong to accuse and condemn us. No, He sees all our efforts, our struggles, our fallings and standing-ups. He knows how often we have approached Him in the sacrament of reconciliation and begged for mercy and forgiveness. He knows how many times He has entered our hearts in the Eucharist and so cleansed us. The good news, therefore, of the frightening Gospel we read today is this: Our last judgment will be done by the One who knows us better than all our acquaintances; He knows us better than we know ourselves.

       And I guess, nobody among us wants to disappoint our final Judge. Lent is a time to reflect on this. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

---------- REFLECTION QUESTION ----------

Do you try to discover the “good news” in every Gospel passage you hear or read?

Lord, thank You for being my last Judge. Into Your loving, merciful hands, I submit myself gladly — for I know You will not judge me according to worldly standards but by the standards of Your love. Amen.