Daily Thoughts: “Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.” Perhaps this simple refrain might be a key to understanding and living out Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel (Matthew 5:43-48). To love one’s enemies, to pray for those who persecute us, we first must realize that we too are sinners; we too have hurt others and at time made life difficult for others.
There are no perfect people out there in the world, no one can claim perfection, thus if we wish mercy and forgiveness we need to be willing to offer it too. Now I am not saying it is easy, if it were Jesus would never have included it in his teaching and I would not be writing about it this morning. Living a life of faith is often difficult and always challenging.
Perhaps the key to making it work is prayer. If our first response to the challenge, to the difficulty, to the struggle is prayer rather than anger, resentment, and judgment then we have the chance to imperfectly live the Gospel message.
Today’s Gospel is not about excusing offensive acts or being lenient with people who hurt us. It is not about looking the other way and letting people just do what they want. Today’s Gospel is about how we trust is the presence of God as we live in the midst of an imperfect world. It is about how we react to people and situation that hurt us. Do we seek vengeance, do we expect to extract our pound of flesh or do we pause and through prayer place the person, the situation in God’s hands.
Prayer can be a way of offering another Christian love. It can be a way of seeking mercy and forgiveness and also offering mercy and forgiveness. Prayer is not going to make our world perfect but it can be a starting point for us becoming the people of faith that Jesus asks us to be today!
Have a great Tuesday everyone!
Daily Prayer: God of all hope, renew in us today the courage to live life to its fullest. Help us to especially stand for and live out the values that Jesus taught us, humility, courage, compassion, mercy, forgiveness and love. Grace us with your wisdom to know how to best live our life in you. When opposition comes our way help us to not give in to fear and cowardice, help us not to strike back with violence and anger, help us not to react out of pride and judgment. Help us to be humble, prayerful people of faith, humble people alive with hope and ready to offer your love. Amen!
A Runner’s Thoughts: “Now bid me run, and I will strive with things impossible.”
(William Shakespeare) “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson) Can’t these thoughts be found in how Jesus is asking us to live? – Have a great day!
Daily Blessing: Tuesday greetings and blessings to all! I hope your morning has started off well and that this will be a good day for you in every way.
I am here once again at the Mercy Center in St. Louis. We began the retreat last night and in a few moments we will be having our morning Eucharist. There are 27 priests on retreat so I ask you to please keep these priests in your prayers throughout this week so that they will be renewed and strengthened in their journey of faith as priests. And if you could say an extra prayer for their preacher it would be greatly appreciated!
I hope you are finding these middle days of June which are leading us towards summer enlivening and life giving. My prayer of blessing today is that your day will be rich with God’s blessings upon your work, your travel, your encounters with others, upon those whom you love and upon you! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul
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