1st SATURDAY IN LENT - Gospel (Matthew 5:43-48) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
- NHA CHUA CHA
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
FIRST READING - Deut 26:16-19
"You will be a people holy to the Lord, your God."
A reading from the Book of Deuteronomy
16 This day the Lord, your God, is commanding you to observe these statutes and ordinances. Be careful, then, to observe them with your whole heart and with your whole being. 17 Today you have accepted the Lord’s agreement: he will be your God, and you will walk in his ways, observe his statutes, commandments, and ordinances, and obey his voice. 18 And today the Lord has accepted your agreement: you will be a people specially his own, as he promised you, you will keep all his commandments, 19 and he will set you high in praise and renown and glory above all nations he has made, and you will be a people holy to the Lord, your God, as he promised.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Mt 5:43-48
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.
✠From the Gospel according to Matthew
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors[a] do the same? 47 And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same?[b] 48 So be perfect,[c] just as your heavenly Father is perfect.
1st SATURDAY IN LENT - Gospel (Matthew 5:43-48)
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear people of God,
Today's Word of God teaches the disciples in the past as well as people today to distinguish between two laws: the first law, coming from humans and the second law, coming from God.
The law coming from humans is self-centered: partiality in love; loving those who love them, loving family members, hating enemies, and often being indifferent to outsiders.
As for the law of God: He teaches humanity to love all creatures, including Satan, the fallen angel, and the demons who repent.
Regarding fellow human beings, God teaches specifically not to distinguish between the good and the bad, nor between relatives and enemies.
Even higher, God calls humanity to love and pray for those who persecute and seek to kill you.
He wants His children to become like God the Father in heaven, who loves all creatures God has created, for God is Love; He does not distinguish between the wicked and the good.
He provides rain, sunlight, air, and everything on earth to sustain both the righteous and the evil. Indeed, God is a perfect Father -- the all-powerful, incomparable Father; in this universe, humans can find no love as great and infinite as that of God the Father.
God wants His children to live happily with the Father in the Heavenly Kingdom; therefore, today He teaches humanity how to live to be happy with Him. Yet He still always grants humans freedom: either to choose the law of God: to love all people, to pray even for enemies and those who mistreat or kill them; and as His children, their duty is to live by the word 'love'.
Those who do not wish to be His children, who do not wish to enjoy blessedness in the Heavenly Kingdom with God, may continue to live selfishly, loving only themselves without the need to give or help others.
God presents two laws for humans to discern and choose freely: one is to choose God the Father to become His children, the other is to choose the world and become the children of Satan.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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