Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Năm tuần 23 Thường Niên
Bài Tin Mừng hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu dậy chúng ta bài học về tình yêu thương, một tình yêu biết quan tâm và được thể hiện trong những việc làm. Trong thực tế, Chúa Giêsu đòi hỏi dấu chỉ tình thương yêu đó phải là một dấu chỉ tình yêu chân tình, thực tâm đối với kẻ thù của mình. Những người môn đệ luôn phải biết tha thứ và vui vẻ trưóc kẻ thù, không bao giờ nghĩ đến việc trả thù với những lời lăng mạ, nhưng hãy tỏ ra cho những người thù ghét mình thấy được tình thương yêu và sự tha thứ thật sự bằng với tấm lòng mà không đòi hỏi, không điều kiện hay không cầu lợi riêng cho mình. Điều này có nghĩa là mệnh lệnh của Chúa Giêsu là yêu thương, yêu thương cả kẻ thù của mình bằng cách làm những điều tốt cho họ mà không tính toán, không cần sự đáp trả trở ơn nghĩa.
Reflection SG
Jesus speaks of ‘agape’, a love of active concern that expresses itself in deeds of love. In fact, He demands a deep form of active love for one’s enemies. A disciple is expected not to retaliate insults from enemies but show forgiving love (v. 30). In terms of giving, he or she should give without reserve. Verse 31 is known as the ‘golden rule’ based on reciprocal relationship and even beyond this. This means that Jesus’ command to love one’s enemies i.e. by doing good to them without calculating the return of love even when there is no hope of any good act in return. So, true disciples of Jesus are selfless, disinterested and have pure love especially for the good of others. This is because Jesus himself by his death on the cross reveals this kind of love.
Faced with this challenge, we know it is a struggle to overcome evil with good, hate with love. What Jesus is asking us is, not so much to like the enemy nor a question of sentiment of affection but real active agape. The call to forgive and to give with generosity will receive more from God. We recall this is what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount or the Beatitudes. How do we respond to this challenge? Let us continue to review our daily living so as to grow because this is necessary or self-improvement.
The phrase ‘give till it hurts’ implies real ‘giving’. Let us like St Francis of Assisi, in his prayer of peace, take up this challenge to love unconditionally.
“Lord, help me learn to love my enemies and allow others to grow in Your name.”
Thursday
of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time 2026
Jesus said to his disciples: “To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back.” Luke 6:27–30
Love, do good, bless, and pray. These four commands form the heart of Jesus’ exhortation in the Sermon on the Plain. They are not merely moral instructions or guiding principles, but are invitations to share in the very life of God through His Divine Mercy. Christian charity must extend to all people—even those who harm us—because authentic love is directed toward the image of God within every person, regardless of someone’s behavior. These commands are the active expression of divine charity, showing that love is not a passive sentiment or fleeting feeling but a deliberate choice to will the good of the other, even at great personal cost.
To love one’s enemies requires a movement from natural emotion to supernatural grace. This is not a matter of ignoring evil. Rather, it is an intentional act of agapē—a love rooted in God and ordered toward the true and eternal good of the other. It does not excuse sin or downplay injustice. Instead, it conquers sin through mercy, just as Christ did upon the Cross. When Jesus cried out, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do,” He did not deny the gravity of their sin; He overcame and overpowered it with Divine Mercy. In this, He gave us the supreme example of what it means to love those who offend us.
Doing good to those who hate you means responding to malice with goodness not for the sake of superficial appeasement, but as a witness to the transforming power of grace. This active goodness breaks the cycle of retaliation a common and deeply rooted struggle in first-century Israel and reveals the presence of God’s new and glorious Kingdom, in which grace replaces vengeance and mercy reigns over judgment. When we return good for evil, we imitate the God who causes the sun to rise on both the just and the unjust. This goodness may not always soften the heart of the one who hates, but it will never fail to sanctify the one who chooses to love.
Blessing those who curse you means using your words not to wound in return, but to heal, intercede, and edify. A verbal blessing given in the face of curses is not a sign of weakness, but of an inner strength that comes only from union with Christ. It reflects the behavior of the saints, who suffered revilement and ridicule yet responded with praise, truth, and mercy. Such a blessing becomes a form of spiritual warfare, unmasking and disarming evil with the power of grace-filled speech. It turns the tongue into an instrument of redemption rather than revenge.
Praying for those who mistreat you is the highest expression of forgiveness. It entrusts the offenders to God’s mercy and seeks their conversion and salvation. Prayer lifts the burden of judgment from our shoulders and places it before the divine tribunal of love. In praying for our persecutors, we become most like Christ, who intercedes not only for His friends but even for those who drove the nails into His hands. This prayer has the power to transform hearts, including our own, and to bring reconciliation where human effort alone would fail.
Reflect today on the power of God’s mercy alive in your life. Such divine love is capable of overpowering sin, healing wounds, and restoring hope. Let Divine Mercy consume any resentment you harbor and soften every hardened corner of your heart. Then go forth and extend that same overpowering mercy to those who least deserve it, trusting that in doing so, you will be conformed to the heart of Christ, and that through you, His Kingdom of mercy will shine.
Most merciful Lord, You never allowed the sins of others to deter You from loving them with a pure and holy love. You loved Your enemies, did good to those who hated You, blessed those who cursed You, and prayed for those who mistreated You. Please purify my heart and unite it with Your own, so that the love I offer others may flow first from You and then, through me, to them. Jesus, I trust in You.
Thursday of the Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary 2026
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you love those who accept you and your Son and even those who reject you and your Son. You do not give up but seek their conversion. You are always ready to welcome your wayward child. Teach me your ways of mercy.
1. Love your Enemies: In the Gospel, Jesus is giving his “Sermon on the Plain.” He began with the blessings and woes of the New Covenant. It is interesting how things like poverty, hunger, prosperity, and persecution were seen as curses in the Old Covenant, but have become the pathways to blessing in the New Covenant. The transformation of the old continues in the passage we read. Jesus says: “To you who hear I say, love your enemies.” The Book of Deuteronomy, given by Moses, commanded the harsh treatment and even killing and extermination of Israel’s enemies. Jesus, the New Moses, corrects the old Laws of Moses and brings them to fulfillment. The New Israel, in the New Covenant, does not need to fear their enemies and the corrupting influence of their pagan practices. In fact, the New Israel is being sent out to the nations, not to destroy them, but to bring them into the merciful Kingdom of God.
Thursday of the Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary
To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Luke 6:29–30
This must have been shocking to Jesus’ first disciples. First of all, recall that Jesus taught these words with a spiritual authority that left those with an open heart with a conviction that what Jesus taught was truth. Also recall that Jesus taught these deep spiritual lessons within the context of performing numerous miracles. So, for these reasons, His new followers would have known that what Jesus taught was true. But how could they fully accept such teachings?
Though many commentators will try to point to the deeper spiritual principles that Jesus was teaching, try to first take His words on face value. He really said that you must offer the other cheek to someone who strikes you, to give your tunic to one who steals your cloak, and to give to everyone who asks of you, never demanding back that which someone takes from you. These are not easy lessons to accept!
One thing that these powerful lessons teach us is that there is something far more important in life than the humiliation of being struck on the cheek and having your possessions stolen. What is that more important thing? It’s the salvation of souls.
If we were to go through life demanding earthly justice and retribution for wrongs received, we would not be able to focus upon that which is most important. We would not be able to focus upon the salvation of those who have wronged us. It’s easy to love those who are kind to us. But our love must extend to everyone, and sometimes the form of love we must offer another is the free acceptance of injustices they commit against us. There is great power in this act of love. But we will only be able to love another this way if our deep desire is for their eternal salvation. If all we want is earthly justice and satisfaction for wrongs committed, we may achieve that. But it may come at the expense of their salvation.
Sometimes we can fall into the trap of thinking that every wrong must be righted here and now. But that’s clearly not what Jesus taught. His wisdom is so much deeper. He knew that a profound act of mercy and forgiveness to another, especially when they have hurt us deeply, is one of the greatest gifts we can give. And it’s one of the most transformative actions we can also do for our own souls. When love hurts, in the sense that it costs us our earthly pride, especially by completely letting go of injustice, then our act of love for that person has great power to change them. And if that act changes them, then this will be the cause of your joy for eternity.
Reflect, today, upon any way that this hard teaching of Jesus is difficult for you. Who comes to mind as you ponder this teaching? Do your passions revolt against this command of love from Jesus? If so, then you have discovered the specific area where God wants you to grow. Think about anyone with whom you have a grievance and ponder whether you desire their eternal salvation. Know that God can use you for this mission of love if you will love in the way our Lord commands.
My merciful Lord, Your love is beyond my own ability to comprehend. Your love is absolute and always seeks the good of the other. Give me grace, dear Lord, to love with Your heart and to forgive to the extent that You have forgiven. Use me, especially, to be an instrument of salvation and mercy to those who need it most in my life. Jesus, I trust in You.
Thursday of the Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time 2025
1. Love your Enemies: In the Gospel, Jesus is giving his “Sermon on the Plain.” He began with the blessings and woes of the New Covenant. It is interesting how things like poverty, hunger, prosperity, and persecution were seen as curses in the Old Covenant, but have become the pathways to blessing in the New Covenant. The transformation of the old continues in the passage we read. Jesus says: “To you who hear I say, love your enemies.” The Book of Deuteronomy, given by Moses, commanded the harsh treatment and even killing and extermination of Israel’s enemies. Jesus, the New Moses, corrects the old Laws of Moses and brings them to fulfillment. Israel, in the New Covenant, does not need to fear their enemies and the corrupting influence of their pagan practices. In fact, the new Israel is being sent out to the nations, not to destroy them, but to bring them into the merciful Kingdom of God.
Bài Tin Mừng hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu dậy chúng ta bài học về tình yêu thương, một tình yêu biết quan tâm và được thể hiện trong những việc làm. Trong thực tế, Chúa Giêsu đòi hỏi dấu chỉ tình thương yêu đó phải là một dấu chỉ tình yêu chân tình, thực tâm đối với kẻ thù của mình. Những người môn đệ luôn phải biết tha thứ và vui vẻ trưóc kẻ thù, không bao giờ nghĩ đến việc trả thù với những lời lăng mạ, nhưng hãy tỏ ra cho những người thù ghét mình thấy được tình thương yêu và sự tha thứ thật sự bằng với tấm lòng mà không đòi hỏi, không điều kiện hay không cầu lợi riêng cho mình. Điều này có nghĩa là mệnh lệnh của Chúa Giêsu là yêu thương, yêu thương cả kẻ thù của mình bằng cách làm những điều tốt cho họ mà không tính toán, không cần sự đáp trả trở ơn nghĩa.
Jesus speaks of ‘agape’, a love of active concern that expresses itself in deeds of love. In fact, He demands a deep form of active love for one’s enemies. A disciple is expected not to retaliate insults from enemies but show forgiving love (v. 30). In terms of giving, he or she should give without reserve. Verse 31 is known as the ‘golden rule’ based on reciprocal relationship and even beyond this. This means that Jesus’ command to love one’s enemies i.e. by doing good to them without calculating the return of love even when there is no hope of any good act in return. So, true disciples of Jesus are selfless, disinterested and have pure love especially for the good of others. This is because Jesus himself by his death on the cross reveals this kind of love.
Faced with this challenge, we know it is a struggle to overcome evil with good, hate with love. What Jesus is asking us is, not so much to like the enemy nor a question of sentiment of affection but real active agape. The call to forgive and to give with generosity will receive more from God. We recall this is what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount or the Beatitudes. How do we respond to this challenge? Let us continue to review our daily living so as to grow because this is necessary or self-improvement.
The phrase ‘give till it hurts’ implies real ‘giving’. Let us like St Francis of Assisi, in his prayer of peace, take up this challenge to love unconditionally.
“Lord, help me learn to love my enemies and allow others to grow in Your name.”
Jesus said to his disciples: “To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back.” Luke 6:27–30
Love, do good, bless, and pray. These four commands form the heart of Jesus’ exhortation in the Sermon on the Plain. They are not merely moral instructions or guiding principles, but are invitations to share in the very life of God through His Divine Mercy. Christian charity must extend to all people—even those who harm us—because authentic love is directed toward the image of God within every person, regardless of someone’s behavior. These commands are the active expression of divine charity, showing that love is not a passive sentiment or fleeting feeling but a deliberate choice to will the good of the other, even at great personal cost.
To love one’s enemies requires a movement from natural emotion to supernatural grace. This is not a matter of ignoring evil. Rather, it is an intentional act of agapē—a love rooted in God and ordered toward the true and eternal good of the other. It does not excuse sin or downplay injustice. Instead, it conquers sin through mercy, just as Christ did upon the Cross. When Jesus cried out, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do,” He did not deny the gravity of their sin; He overcame and overpowered it with Divine Mercy. In this, He gave us the supreme example of what it means to love those who offend us.
Doing good to those who hate you means responding to malice with goodness not for the sake of superficial appeasement, but as a witness to the transforming power of grace. This active goodness breaks the cycle of retaliation a common and deeply rooted struggle in first-century Israel and reveals the presence of God’s new and glorious Kingdom, in which grace replaces vengeance and mercy reigns over judgment. When we return good for evil, we imitate the God who causes the sun to rise on both the just and the unjust. This goodness may not always soften the heart of the one who hates, but it will never fail to sanctify the one who chooses to love.
Blessing those who curse you means using your words not to wound in return, but to heal, intercede, and edify. A verbal blessing given in the face of curses is not a sign of weakness, but of an inner strength that comes only from union with Christ. It reflects the behavior of the saints, who suffered revilement and ridicule yet responded with praise, truth, and mercy. Such a blessing becomes a form of spiritual warfare, unmasking and disarming evil with the power of grace-filled speech. It turns the tongue into an instrument of redemption rather than revenge.
Praying for those who mistreat you is the highest expression of forgiveness. It entrusts the offenders to God’s mercy and seeks their conversion and salvation. Prayer lifts the burden of judgment from our shoulders and places it before the divine tribunal of love. In praying for our persecutors, we become most like Christ, who intercedes not only for His friends but even for those who drove the nails into His hands. This prayer has the power to transform hearts, including our own, and to bring reconciliation where human effort alone would fail.
Reflect today on the power of God’s mercy alive in your life. Such divine love is capable of overpowering sin, healing wounds, and restoring hope. Let Divine Mercy consume any resentment you harbor and soften every hardened corner of your heart. Then go forth and extend that same overpowering mercy to those who least deserve it, trusting that in doing so, you will be conformed to the heart of Christ, and that through you, His Kingdom of mercy will shine.
Most merciful Lord, You never allowed the sins of others to deter You from loving them with a pure and holy love. You loved Your enemies, did good to those who hated You, blessed those who cursed You, and prayed for those who mistreated You. Please purify my heart and unite it with Your own, so that the love I offer others may flow first from You and then, through me, to them. Jesus, I trust in You.
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you love those who accept you and your Son and even those who reject you and your Son. You do not give up but seek their conversion. You are always ready to welcome your wayward child. Teach me your ways of mercy.
1. Love your Enemies: In the Gospel, Jesus is giving his “Sermon on the Plain.” He began with the blessings and woes of the New Covenant. It is interesting how things like poverty, hunger, prosperity, and persecution were seen as curses in the Old Covenant, but have become the pathways to blessing in the New Covenant. The transformation of the old continues in the passage we read. Jesus says: “To you who hear I say, love your enemies.” The Book of Deuteronomy, given by Moses, commanded the harsh treatment and even killing and extermination of Israel’s enemies. Jesus, the New Moses, corrects the old Laws of Moses and brings them to fulfillment. The New Israel, in the New Covenant, does not need to fear their enemies and the corrupting influence of their pagan practices. In fact, the New Israel is being sent out to the nations, not to destroy them, but to bring them into the merciful Kingdom of God.
To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Luke 6:29–30
This must have been shocking to Jesus’ first disciples. First of all, recall that Jesus taught these words with a spiritual authority that left those with an open heart with a conviction that what Jesus taught was truth. Also recall that Jesus taught these deep spiritual lessons within the context of performing numerous miracles. So, for these reasons, His new followers would have known that what Jesus taught was true. But how could they fully accept such teachings?
Though many commentators will try to point to the deeper spiritual principles that Jesus was teaching, try to first take His words on face value. He really said that you must offer the other cheek to someone who strikes you, to give your tunic to one who steals your cloak, and to give to everyone who asks of you, never demanding back that which someone takes from you. These are not easy lessons to accept!
One thing that these powerful lessons teach us is that there is something far more important in life than the humiliation of being struck on the cheek and having your possessions stolen. What is that more important thing? It’s the salvation of souls.
If we were to go through life demanding earthly justice and retribution for wrongs received, we would not be able to focus upon that which is most important. We would not be able to focus upon the salvation of those who have wronged us. It’s easy to love those who are kind to us. But our love must extend to everyone, and sometimes the form of love we must offer another is the free acceptance of injustices they commit against us. There is great power in this act of love. But we will only be able to love another this way if our deep desire is for their eternal salvation. If all we want is earthly justice and satisfaction for wrongs committed, we may achieve that. But it may come at the expense of their salvation.
Sometimes we can fall into the trap of thinking that every wrong must be righted here and now. But that’s clearly not what Jesus taught. His wisdom is so much deeper. He knew that a profound act of mercy and forgiveness to another, especially when they have hurt us deeply, is one of the greatest gifts we can give. And it’s one of the most transformative actions we can also do for our own souls. When love hurts, in the sense that it costs us our earthly pride, especially by completely letting go of injustice, then our act of love for that person has great power to change them. And if that act changes them, then this will be the cause of your joy for eternity.
Reflect, today, upon any way that this hard teaching of Jesus is difficult for you. Who comes to mind as you ponder this teaching? Do your passions revolt against this command of love from Jesus? If so, then you have discovered the specific area where God wants you to grow. Think about anyone with whom you have a grievance and ponder whether you desire their eternal salvation. Know that God can use you for this mission of love if you will love in the way our Lord commands.
My merciful Lord, Your love is beyond my own ability to comprehend. Your love is absolute and always seeks the good of the other. Give me grace, dear Lord, to love with Your heart and to forgive to the extent that You have forgiven. Use me, especially, to be an instrument of salvation and mercy to those who need it most in my life. Jesus, I trust in You.
1. Love your Enemies: In the Gospel, Jesus is giving his “Sermon on the Plain.” He began with the blessings and woes of the New Covenant. It is interesting how things like poverty, hunger, prosperity, and persecution were seen as curses in the Old Covenant, but have become the pathways to blessing in the New Covenant. The transformation of the old continues in the passage we read. Jesus says: “To you who hear I say, love your enemies.” The Book of Deuteronomy, given by Moses, commanded the harsh treatment and even killing and extermination of Israel’s enemies. Jesus, the New Moses, corrects the old Laws of Moses and brings them to fulfillment. Israel, in the New Covenant, does not need to fear their enemies and the corrupting influence of their pagan practices. In fact, the new Israel is being sent out to the nations, not to destroy them, but to bring them into the merciful Kingdom of God.
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