SATURDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK OF LENT - Gospel (Matthew 5:43-48) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

“Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.” (Mt 5:44)

FIRST READING - Dt 26:16-19

A reading from the Book of Deuteronomy

Moses spoke to the people, saying:

"This day the LORD, your God,

commands you to observe these statutes and decrees.

Be careful, then,

to observe them with all your heart and with all your soul.

Today you are making this agreement with the LORD:

he is to be your God and you are to walk in his ways

and observe his statutes, commandments and decrees,

and to hearken to his voice.

And today the LORD is making this agreement with you:

you are to be a people peculiarly his own, as he promised you;

and provided you keep all his commandments,

he will then raise you high in praise and renown and glory

above all other nations he has made,

and you will be a people sacred to the LORD, your God,

as he promised."

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - 5:43-48

From the Gospel according to Matthew

Jesus said to his disciples:

"You have heard that it was said,

You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.

But I say to you, love your enemies,

and pray for those who persecute you,

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.

For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?

Do not the tax collectors do the same?

And if you greet your brothers and sisters only,

what is unusual about that?

Do not the pagans do the same?

So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect."

SATURDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK OF LENT - Gospel (Matthew 5:43-48)

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear People of God,

The Word of God today teaches both the disciples of the past as well as people of today to distinguish between two laws: the first law comes from humans, and the second law comes from God.

The laws that are made by humans are for ourselves only: bias in love; love those who love us, only love our family members, hate our enemies, and often be indifferent to outsiders.

As for God's law, He teaches humanity to love all creatures, including Satan, the fallen angels, and the repentant demons. With our fellow human beings, God teaches very specifically that we should not distinguish between good and bad people, we should not distinguish between relatives and enemies. Even more, God calls humanity to love and pray for those who persecute and those who seek to kill us.

He wants His children to be like God the Father in heaven, who loves all things that He has created because God is Love. He does not distinguish between good and bad people. He gives rain, sunshine, air, and everything on earth to nourish both good and evil people.

Indeed, God is a perfect Father and an incomparably beautiful and Almighty Father. In this universe, we cannot find anywhere a love as great and infinite as God the Father.

God wants His children to live happily with Him in Heaven, so today, He teaches humanity how to live in a way that will make us happy with Him. But He always gives humans freedom: either to choose God's law, which is to love all people, to pray for both enemies, those who persecute and kill us; and our duty of being His children is to live according to the word 'love.'

Whoever does not want to be His child, who does not want to attain the glory in Heaven with God, then just live selfishly, only love ourselves, without the need to give, without helping others.

God gives two laws for humankind to discern and freely choose: one is to choose God the Father and become His child, and the other is to choose the world and become children of Satan.

Thanks be to God. Amen.