Reading 1 1 Kgs 21:17-29
“Start down to meet Ahab, king of Israel,
who rules in Samaria.
He will be in the vineyard of Naboth,
of which he has come to take possession.
This is what you shall tell him,
‘The LORD says: After murdering, do you also take possession?
For this, the LORD says:
In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth,
the dogs shall lick up your blood, too.’”
Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me out, my enemy?”
“Yes,” he answered.
“Because you have given yourself up to doing evil in the LORD’s sight,
I am bringing evil upon you: I will destroy you
and will cut off every male in Ahab’s line,
whether slave or freeman, in Israel.
I will make your house like that of Jeroboam, son of Nebat,
and like that of Baasha, son of Ahijah,
because of how you have provoked me by leading Israel into sin.”
(Against Jezebel, too, the LORD declared,
“The dogs shall devour Jezebel in the district of Jezreel.”)
“When one of Ahab’s line dies in the city,
dogs will devour him;
when one of them dies in the field,
the birds of the sky will devour him.”
Indeed, no one gave himself up to the doing of evil
in the sight of the LORD as did Ahab,
urged on by his wife Jezebel.
He became completely abominable by following idols,
just as the Amorites had done,
whom the LORD drove out before the children of Israel.
When Ahab heard these words, he tore his garments
and put on sackcloth over his bare flesh.
He fasted, slept in the sackcloth, and went about subdued.
Then the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite,
“Have you seen that Ahab has humbled himself before me?
Since he has humbled himself before me,
I will not bring the evil in his time.
I will bring the evil upon his house during the reign of his son.”
Responsorial Psalm Ps 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 11 and 16
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
For I acknowledge my offense,
and my sin is before me always:
“Against you only have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight.”
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Turn away your face from my sins,
and blot out all my guilt.
Free me from blood guilt, O God, my saving God;
then my tongue shall revel in your justice.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Alleluia Jn 13:34
I give you a new commandment:
love one another as I have loved you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Mt 5:43-48
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 only,
what is unusual about that?
Do not the pagans do the same?
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
DINING WITH ENEMIES
"My command to you is: love your enemies." –Matthew 5:44
We worship a God Who loves enemies, Who does not avoid them but lays down His life for them. When we kneel before the cross, close by the Lord's crucified feet, we hear His words, "Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing" (Lk 23:34). For while we were still His enemies, He died for us (see Rm 5:8).
The Lord promised to set us free from the hands of our enemies (Lk 1:74) and to set a table before us in the sight of our foes (Ps 23:5). God's plan is for that table to include some of our converted enemies. The Lord sets us free from our enemies not to be rid of them, but so that we are free to love them and bring them to be free in His grace. God is glorified when we love our enemies. This is precisely how the world will know that we are truly sons and daughters of the heavenly Father: by our love for our enemies (Mt 5:44-45).
Are we willing to suffer? If not, we won't be able to love our enemies. Are we willing to be stretched so far that only supernatural grace continually outpoured each day could enable us to love? Jesus taught us to enter through the narrow gate, which is difficult (Mt 7:13-14). The narrow gate is love of enemies. Instead of allowing ourselves to imagine our enemies downfall, let us discipline ourselves to imagine our enemies' conversion. Imagine them worshipping the Lord in reverence and awe and joy. Imagine them sitting next to us, sharing joyfully in the Lord's banquet.
| PRAYER: | Jesus, may my enemies find the road to fullness of joy in Your presence (Ps 16:11) and my presence as well. |
| PROMISE: | "You must be made perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." –Mt 5:48 |
| PRAISE: | Pete was persecuted at work, but he kept a Christian demeanor and, eventually, was shown respect. |
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