Twenty-Third Tuesday in Ordinary Time

Now indeed then it is, in any case, a failure on your part that you have lawsuits against one another. Why not rather put up with injustice? Why not rather let yourselves be cheated? Instead, you inflict injustice and cheat, and this to brothers. Do you not know that the unjust will not inherit the Kingdom of God?

The world constantly tells us to get even and make our enemies pay for what they’ve done to us. We are encouraged to take an adversarial relationship with those who have done us wrong in some shape, form, or fashion. However, Paul reminds us this is not the Way of Jesus. Christ did not come to proclaim a Gospel of Getting Even. No. He came to proclaim the Gospel of Love and Mercy. He showed us how to walk this path of compassion by turning his other cheek to those who persecuted him. He suffered mockery, beatings, and even death on a cross and never once did he raise his hand to strike down his enemies. Instead, he forgave them while he bled on the cross. If we want to have a part in his Kingdom, then this is exactly what we must do, too. Be kind and loving to all, even our enemies, and forgive those who do not know what they are doing.

Have we fallen into the worldly trap of trying to get even with someone else? How can we rather seek to forgive those who have harmed us? What can we do to become more Christ-like in our compassion?

O Lord, give us the grace to repay evils with goods and cheating with generosity of spirit.

Amen.

Second Wednesday of Lent

Heed me, O LORD, and listen to what my adversaries say. Must good be repaid with evil that they should dig a pit to take my life? Remember that I stood before you to speak in their behalf, to turn away your wrath from them.

Not all of our good deeds will be repaid with good. Sometimes those we help will be indifferent to what we have done for them or take it for granted. Other times, the people we help will complain about what we’ve done or how we’ve helped them. Still others will repay our kindnesses with evil and persecution. However, we shouldn’t let the apathetic or negative responses keep us from doing what is right. It is easy to treat others well when they do the same to us... much harder when they dismiss or despise our help. But just as Jesus loved and forgave even those who persecuted and mocked him on the cross, so too are we called to love and forgive those who repay our good deeds with evil.

Are we able to put aside the responses others have to our good works and simply do what is good because it is right and just? Are we willing to turn the other cheek to and do good for those who are our adversaries? Do we pray for those who repay us with evil?

O Lord, turn away your wrath from those who transgress against us.

Amen.

First Monday of Lent

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. Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.

Loving our neighbor as ourselves is one of the keys to being good and faithful servants of God and followers of Christ. This calling means not only loving our family, friends, neighbors, and strangers when they are easy to love, but also when they are difficult to love. It means not condemning others for their faults, but also not condoning their actions when they are evil. It means casting aside all hatred and instead showing compassion… even to those who show none for us. It means turning the other cheek and holding no grudges. It means loving without hesitation or reservation… with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths for the simple reason that each of our neighbors was created in the image and likeness of God.

Who are the people in our lives we have the most difficulty loving as ourselves? How can we grow in love for these people and others? How can we put aside our own selfish responses to those who mistreat us and simply love them in spite of our feelings?

O Lord, help us to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Amen.

Fourth Monday of Ordinary Time

"Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over, please, and lop off his head." But the king replied: "What business is it of mine or of yours, sons of Zeruiah, that he curses? Suppose the LORD has told him to curse David; who then will dare to say, 'Why are you doing this?'"

We don’t always know why someone says or does something to us. We might make assumptions and fill-in-the-blanks, but these are based off of guesswork and could be completely wrong. Perhaps there is a misunderstanding that led to the problem, perhaps we said or did something that hurt the other person. Or maybe we are just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Only God knows. Our initial instincts when someone treats us poorly are to want to strike back at them just as David’s servant wanted to do. However, this is not the response we should have if we want to follow in the footsteps of Christ. Instead, like David, we should turn the other cheek and make no assumptions about the other person’s actions. Then, perhaps we can converse with the person mistreating us and find out what the heart of the problem is and address it.

Are there people in our lives who mistreat us? How can we not only tolerate them, but also seek to reconcile with them, too? Are there people whom we have hurt and need to seek forgiveness from?

O Lord, help us to be reconciled with you and all your children.

Amen.

Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter

They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him. The witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. As they were stoning Stephen, he called out,
“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them”; and when he said this, he fell asleep.

Forgiving others can be very difficult, but imagine the love and mercy we would need to be able to forgive our murderers. It is the love and mercy of Jesus Christ revealed again through the faithful witness of St. Stephen. It is the also exactly what we are called to do. Though we might not be crucified or stoned, we are all called to be martyrs and forgivers in one way or another. Perhaps we are martyred by the way members of our family treat us. Perhaps we are martyred by backstabbing or gossipy coworkers. Perhaps someone else is casting stones at our character or being physically abusive. In each of these instances, and so many more, we are called upon to put aside our selfish desire for revenge and ask God to forgive those who have sinned against us. Not because we like the person or condone what they have done, but because forgiving others frees us from the temptation to strike back. It frees us from our anger, our resentment, and all those other feelings that could lead us into sin. When we let go and let God, we recognize God as the One and Only Judge and can fall asleep in His Arms secure in the knowledge that He will protect what is most important... our souls.

Who do we need to forgive in our lives? How can we learn to show mercy, even to those who show none to us? What can we do to resist the temptation to retaliate against those who harm us?

O Lord, do not hold the sins others commit against us against them.

Amen.