Suy
Niệm Thứ Bẩy Tuần thứ Nhất Mùa Chay (Mat 5:43-48)
Trong mùa Chay này, chúng ta được nhắc nhở về trách nhiệm Kitô giáo của chúng ta. Chúng ta phải nhận thức được mối liên hệ và giao ước giữa Thiên Chúa và chúng ta.
Bài đọc thứ nhất trong sách Đệ Nhị Luật nêu rõ những lời hứa của Thiên Chúa với con người trong bản một giao ước ngắn gọn, nhưng với niềm hy vọng là chúng ta sống theo mệnh lệnh của Thiên Chúa. Những yếu tố liên tục gắn kết chúng ta với Thiên Chúa là nhận thức qua kinh nghiệm những sự tốt lành của Thiên Chúa cũng như tình yêu vô điều kiện mà Ngài dành cho chúng ta một cách cụ thể (TV 118), Đây là một trong những ơn gọi của mỗi người Kitô hữu. Nếu chúng ta sống với khía cạnh này, chúng ta sẽ tìm thấy những sự ngạc nhiên của những biến đổi đã diễn ra trong cuộc sống của chúng ta và qua những sự ngạc nhiên trong cuộc sống đó, chúng ta sẽ thấy mình trở nên giống Chúa Kitô hơn trong những suy nghĩ và trong những hành động của chúng ta.
Do đó mầu nhiệm Nhập Thể chắc chắn phải có nghĩa gì trong cuộc sống của chúng ta. Đấy là những gì mà Thiên Chúa đã mời gọi và đòi hỏi nơi chúng ta "anh em hãy nên hoàn thiện, như Cha anh em trên trời là Ðấng hoàn thiện." .
Lạy Chúa, xin ban cho chúng con có những ân sũng của Chúa Thánh Thần trong Mùa Chay thánh này để chúng con được trở nên giống như Chúa Kitô trong những suy nghĩ và hành động của chúng con, nhờ đó chúng con sẽ mạnh dạn làm chứng cho tình yêu vô biên, vô điều kiện của Chúa đã ban cho chúng con, là những người thật là tội lỗi.
Saturday first week of Lent 2026
Saturday of the First Week of Lent
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…” Matthew 5:43–44
Why would we want to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us? The fallen natural mind alone reasons that an enemy is someone we should oppose and distance ourselves from, and those who persecute us deserve our wrath and condemnation. Without grace, our minds are incapable of comprehending this command. As the passage continues, Jesus answers the question for us: “that you may be children of your heavenly Father…”
A child inherits his or her DNA from the mother and father. Children often resemble their parents, adopt certain traits, and might imitate some of their habits. These similarities result from both biology and learned behavior. If we choose God the Father as our true Father in Heaven, becoming a member of Jesus’ family, we must inherit God’s spiritual “DNA,” adopt His traits, and imitate our Lord’s moral habits. Otherwise, we are not children of our heavenly Father.
Just as membership in an earthly family carries obligations—such as compassion, support, and faithfulness—so does membership in God’s family, with even greater responsibilities. For example, if a child of an earthly family rebels, is hostile, rejects his parents and siblings, and leaves them, the child loses out on the numerous blessings of family life, especially when the parents and other siblings are faithful servants of God. Likewise, by refusing to follow God’s divine commands, we miss out on the blessings He gives His children.
Because being a member of God’s family demands great love, Jesus addresses the ultimate requirement He expects of us: “be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” True, we might only attain perfection in Heaven once we experience the purifying fires of Purgatory. However, that doesn’t change the family obligations our Father imposes upon us in this life. God expects perfection, including a radical love of everyone—those who love us and those deemed “enemies” or who persecute us.
The love to which God calls us knows no bounds because our heavenly Father’s love for us knows no bounds. True children take on His spiritual DNA and moral habits. Moral perfection leads to spiritual communion with God—Divine Union—a gift beyond anything a rebellious spiritual child could attain through effort alone.
Reflect today on God’s incredible invitation given to you to be a member of His family. As you hear that invitation and respond with acceptance, consider the requirements that result from that choice. Look at those in your life for whom you hold a grudge, have a complicated relationship, or have been hurt. Do not act according to natural reason alone. Allow your mind to be elevated by truth so that you understand what God expects of you, and allow your will to be strengthened by grace so that you can act toward others as your heavenly Father acts toward you.
Most loving God, Your love never fails, never diminishes, never changes. It is perfect in every way. My love is often selfish, limited, and erratic. I accept Your invitation to be a member of Your heavenly family and pray that I will learn to see all people with Your wisdom and love them with Your heart. Forgive me for my lack of love, and transform me into Your child by grace. Jesus, I trust in You.
Saturday first week of Lent 2026
Opening Prayer: Heavenly Father, you offer your covenant to humanity so that we can share in your divine life. You are truly blessed and offer me a share in this beatitude. I thank you for this offer and will do my best to remain in your love as I journey toward you.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Be Holy: Three verses in the Bible encourage us to be like our God and Father. The first is found in the Book of Leviticus. It reads: “Be holy, for I the Lord your God, am holy” (Leviticus 11:44-45; 19:2). The Hebrew word for holy is “qadosh.” It means the state or quality of being ‘set apart’ and ‘sacred.’ God is the most holy (Isaiah 6:3). “Yet the holiness of God radiates forth and sanctifies created realities as well” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 196). Angels, priests, places, and even time (the Sabbath) are holy because they are set apart from the profane and dedicated to the Lord God. “Israel as a whole is set apart from other nations to serve the Lord as a holy people (Lev 20:26; Deut 7:6). Leviticus also calls the people of Israel to preserve this national holiness by a commitment to personal holiness. Its mandate is to ‘be holy as the Lord God is ‘holy’ (Lev 11:44-45; 19:2; 20:7: 21:8). Imitating the Lord in this way means adhering to the commandments of his holy covenant (Num 15:40)” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 196).
2. Be Perfect: The second verse is found in Matthew. The first part of the Sermon on the Mount concludes with the admonition: “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). God is holy and God is perfect. Perfection means that something is complete and has no defects. God is perfect and doesn’t lack anything. We, on the other hand, are imperfect. We will only be perfect in heaven. “Just as Israel was to imitate God in being ‘holy’ (Lev 19:2), so Jesus calls the Church to imitate God’s perfect compassion (Lk 6:36). The Father is kind and merciful to the good and evil alike, so his children must extend mercy even to their enemies” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 1735).
3. Be Merciful: The third verse is found in Luke, who includes, in the “Sermon on the Plain,” the admonition: “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36). “Mercy is the towering rule of Christ’s kingdom (10:36-37; Mt 9:13; CCC, 1458). Jesus reformulates the teaching of Lev 19:2, replacing the command to imitate Yahweh’s holiness with a command to imitate his mercy. The subtle difference between these divine attributes points to the difference between the Old Covenant and the New. The quest for holiness in ancient Israel meant that God’s people had to separate themselves from everything ungodly, unclean, and impure, including Gentiles and sinners (Lev 15:31; 20:26). Jesus gives holiness a new focus, defining it as mercy that reaches out to others, and no longer divides people into segregated camps or disqualifies some and not others to enter the family of God.” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 1843).
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, your New Law is one of charity and grace. You empower us with your Holy Spirit to love as children of your Father. Because of this, the yoke you place on my shoulder is easy, and the burden you ask me to carry is light.
Saturday first week of Lent 2024
“Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.” Matthew 5:26
Was our Lord here giving legal advice regarding a criminal or civil case and how to avoid prosecution? Certainly not. He was presenting us with an image of Himself as the just Judge. And He was exhorting us to show mercy to anyone and everyone who could be seen as our “opponent.”
Forgiveness of another is essential. It can never be withheld. But forgiveness is actually not even enough. The ultimate goal must be reconciliation, which goes much further. In this Gospel above, Jesus exhorts us to “settle” with our opponents, therein implying reconciliation. The RSV version of the Bible says it this way, “Make friends quickly with your accuser…” Working to foster a “friendship” with one who has accused you, especially if it is a false accusation, goes far beyond simply forgiving them.
To reconcile with another and to reestablish a true friendship means that you not only forgive but also do all you can to ensure that you reestablish a relationship of love with that person. It means that you both put your grievance behind you and start anew. Of course, that takes both people to cooperate in love; but, for your part, it means that you work hard to establish this reconciliation.
Think about someone who has hurt you, and, as a result, your relationship with them has been damaged. Have you prayerfully forgiven that person before God? Have you prayed for that person and asked God to forgive them? If so, then you are now ready for the next step of reaching out to them in love to mend your relationship. This takes great humility, especially if the other person was the cause of the hurt and especially if they have not spoken words of sorrow to you, asking for your forgiveness. Don’t wait for them to do so. Look for ways to show that person that you love them and want to heal the hurt. Don’t hold their sin before them or hold on to a grudge. Seek only love and mercy.
Jesus concludes this exhortation with strong words. Essentially, if you fail to do all you can to reconcile and reestablish your relationship, you will be held accountable for it. Though this may seem unfair at first, it is clearly not, because this is the depth of mercy that our Lord offers us every day. We will never be adequately sorry for our sin, but God forgives and reconciles with us anyway. What a grace! But if we fail to offer this same mercy to others, we essentially limit God’s ability to offer this mercy to us, and we will be required to pay back “the last penny” of our own debt to God.
Reflect, today, upon the person who comes to mind with whom you need to fully reconcile and rekindle a relationship of love. Pray for this grace, commit yourself to it and look for opportunities to do so. Do it without reserve and you will never regret your decision.
My most merciful Lord, I thank You for forgiving me and for loving me with such perfection and totality. Thank You for reconciling with me despite my imperfect contrition. Give me a heart, dear Lord, that always seeks to love the sinner in my life. Help me to offer mercy to the fullest extent in imitation of Your divine mercy. Jesus, I trust in You.
Saturday first week of Lent 2024
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you offer your covenant to humanity so that we can share in your divine life. You are truly blessed and offer me a share in this beatitude. I thank you for this offer and will do my best to remain in your love as I journey toward you.
Encountering the Word of God
1. The Old Covenant Law of Moses: Today’s First Reading introduces us to one of the many covenants that God made with humanity and his people – the Covenant of Deuteronomy. The idolatry, apostasy, and sin of the people of Israel at Baal-Peor (Numbers 25:1-6) led to Moses giving Israel the “Second Law” or Law of Deuteronomy. Compared to the original covenant at Mt. Sinai, which was the “First Law,” the covenant of Deuteronomy was a lesser covenant and law and was given by Moses because of Israel's hardness of heart. The Deuteronomy covenant, made right before the people of Israel crossed the Jordan River and entered into the Promised Land of Canaan, had the purpose of restoring and rehabilitating the twelve tribes after their apostasy at Baal-Peor. This Second Law, given by Moses, wanted Israel to recognize its weakness and inability to achieve holiness without God’s help. From the beginning, God wanted his people to be holy and sacred. This was God’s intention when he created Adam and Eve – that all human beings, created in his image and likeness, share in his divine life. This promise was symbolized by the Sabbath rest. The path that leads to this divine rest, holiness, and life is marked out by the Lord’s statutes, commandments, and decrees. The path is characterized especially by docile obedience to the voice of God.
2. The New Covenant Law of Christ: The true model for the one who obeys God’s voice is Jesus Christ. He obeyed his Father always and, through his filial obedience, freed us from the curses of the Old Covenant and established the New Covenant in his blood. Like every covenant, the New Covenant has a law associated with it. Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount articulates the heart of the New Law of the New Covenant. Like the passage from Deuteronomy, which calls the people of Israel to holiness, the passage from Matthew today concludes with a call for the restored tribes of Israel and for us to be holy, to be perfect, as our heavenly Father is holy and perfect.
3. Living under the New Law: It is good to remember that we are not able to reach this holiness and perfection on our own. We need God’s grace and mercy. God’s grace is what enables us to go beyond our human limitations and live and act according to Christian charity. This means loving our enemies, praying for those who persecute us, and welcoming those around us in the Lord. Today’s message is similar to the one we heard yesterday when we were invited to be reconciled with our brothers and sisters and with our opponents. We should not be discouraged when we hear Christ command us to forgive and love and pray for our enemies. Rather, we should be confident that he will empower us with his grace to live the New Law!
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, your New Law is one of charity and grace. You empower us with your Holy Spirit to love as children of your Father. Because of this, the yoke you place on my shoulders is easy and the burden you ask me to carry is light.
Trong mùa Chay này, chúng ta được nhắc nhở về trách nhiệm Kitô giáo của chúng ta. Chúng ta phải nhận thức được mối liên hệ và giao ước giữa Thiên Chúa và chúng ta.
Bài đọc thứ nhất trong sách Đệ Nhị Luật nêu rõ những lời hứa của Thiên Chúa với con người trong bản một giao ước ngắn gọn, nhưng với niềm hy vọng là chúng ta sống theo mệnh lệnh của Thiên Chúa. Những yếu tố liên tục gắn kết chúng ta với Thiên Chúa là nhận thức qua kinh nghiệm những sự tốt lành của Thiên Chúa cũng như tình yêu vô điều kiện mà Ngài dành cho chúng ta một cách cụ thể (TV 118), Đây là một trong những ơn gọi của mỗi người Kitô hữu. Nếu chúng ta sống với khía cạnh này, chúng ta sẽ tìm thấy những sự ngạc nhiên của những biến đổi đã diễn ra trong cuộc sống của chúng ta và qua những sự ngạc nhiên trong cuộc sống đó, chúng ta sẽ thấy mình trở nên giống Chúa Kitô hơn trong những suy nghĩ và trong những hành động của chúng ta.
Do đó mầu nhiệm Nhập Thể chắc chắn phải có nghĩa gì trong cuộc sống của chúng ta. Đấy là những gì mà Thiên Chúa đã mời gọi và đòi hỏi nơi chúng ta "anh em hãy nên hoàn thiện, như Cha anh em trên trời là Ðấng hoàn thiện." .
Lạy Chúa, xin ban cho chúng con có những ân sũng của Chúa Thánh Thần trong Mùa Chay thánh này để chúng con được trở nên giống như Chúa Kitô trong những suy nghĩ và hành động của chúng con, nhờ đó chúng con sẽ mạnh dạn làm chứng cho tình yêu vô biên, vô điều kiện của Chúa đã ban cho chúng con, là những người thật là tội lỗi.
Saturday of the First Week of Lent
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…” Matthew 5:43–44
Why would we want to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us? The fallen natural mind alone reasons that an enemy is someone we should oppose and distance ourselves from, and those who persecute us deserve our wrath and condemnation. Without grace, our minds are incapable of comprehending this command. As the passage continues, Jesus answers the question for us: “that you may be children of your heavenly Father…”
A child inherits his or her DNA from the mother and father. Children often resemble their parents, adopt certain traits, and might imitate some of their habits. These similarities result from both biology and learned behavior. If we choose God the Father as our true Father in Heaven, becoming a member of Jesus’ family, we must inherit God’s spiritual “DNA,” adopt His traits, and imitate our Lord’s moral habits. Otherwise, we are not children of our heavenly Father.
Just as membership in an earthly family carries obligations—such as compassion, support, and faithfulness—so does membership in God’s family, with even greater responsibilities. For example, if a child of an earthly family rebels, is hostile, rejects his parents and siblings, and leaves them, the child loses out on the numerous blessings of family life, especially when the parents and other siblings are faithful servants of God. Likewise, by refusing to follow God’s divine commands, we miss out on the blessings He gives His children.
Because being a member of God’s family demands great love, Jesus addresses the ultimate requirement He expects of us: “be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” True, we might only attain perfection in Heaven once we experience the purifying fires of Purgatory. However, that doesn’t change the family obligations our Father imposes upon us in this life. God expects perfection, including a radical love of everyone—those who love us and those deemed “enemies” or who persecute us.
The love to which God calls us knows no bounds because our heavenly Father’s love for us knows no bounds. True children take on His spiritual DNA and moral habits. Moral perfection leads to spiritual communion with God—Divine Union—a gift beyond anything a rebellious spiritual child could attain through effort alone.
Reflect today on God’s incredible invitation given to you to be a member of His family. As you hear that invitation and respond with acceptance, consider the requirements that result from that choice. Look at those in your life for whom you hold a grudge, have a complicated relationship, or have been hurt. Do not act according to natural reason alone. Allow your mind to be elevated by truth so that you understand what God expects of you, and allow your will to be strengthened by grace so that you can act toward others as your heavenly Father acts toward you.
Most loving God, Your love never fails, never diminishes, never changes. It is perfect in every way. My love is often selfish, limited, and erratic. I accept Your invitation to be a member of Your heavenly family and pray that I will learn to see all people with Your wisdom and love them with Your heart. Forgive me for my lack of love, and transform me into Your child by grace. Jesus, I trust in You.
Saturday first week of Lent 2026
Opening Prayer: Heavenly Father, you offer your covenant to humanity so that we can share in your divine life. You are truly blessed and offer me a share in this beatitude. I thank you for this offer and will do my best to remain in your love as I journey toward you.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Be Holy: Three verses in the Bible encourage us to be like our God and Father. The first is found in the Book of Leviticus. It reads: “Be holy, for I the Lord your God, am holy” (Leviticus 11:44-45; 19:2). The Hebrew word for holy is “qadosh.” It means the state or quality of being ‘set apart’ and ‘sacred.’ God is the most holy (Isaiah 6:3). “Yet the holiness of God radiates forth and sanctifies created realities as well” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 196). Angels, priests, places, and even time (the Sabbath) are holy because they are set apart from the profane and dedicated to the Lord God. “Israel as a whole is set apart from other nations to serve the Lord as a holy people (Lev 20:26; Deut 7:6). Leviticus also calls the people of Israel to preserve this national holiness by a commitment to personal holiness. Its mandate is to ‘be holy as the Lord God is ‘holy’ (Lev 11:44-45; 19:2; 20:7: 21:8). Imitating the Lord in this way means adhering to the commandments of his holy covenant (Num 15:40)” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 196).
2. Be Perfect: The second verse is found in Matthew. The first part of the Sermon on the Mount concludes with the admonition: “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). God is holy and God is perfect. Perfection means that something is complete and has no defects. God is perfect and doesn’t lack anything. We, on the other hand, are imperfect. We will only be perfect in heaven. “Just as Israel was to imitate God in being ‘holy’ (Lev 19:2), so Jesus calls the Church to imitate God’s perfect compassion (Lk 6:36). The Father is kind and merciful to the good and evil alike, so his children must extend mercy even to their enemies” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 1735).
3. Be Merciful: The third verse is found in Luke, who includes, in the “Sermon on the Plain,” the admonition: “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36). “Mercy is the towering rule of Christ’s kingdom (10:36-37; Mt 9:13; CCC, 1458). Jesus reformulates the teaching of Lev 19:2, replacing the command to imitate Yahweh’s holiness with a command to imitate his mercy. The subtle difference between these divine attributes points to the difference between the Old Covenant and the New. The quest for holiness in ancient Israel meant that God’s people had to separate themselves from everything ungodly, unclean, and impure, including Gentiles and sinners (Lev 15:31; 20:26). Jesus gives holiness a new focus, defining it as mercy that reaches out to others, and no longer divides people into segregated camps or disqualifies some and not others to enter the family of God.” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 1843).
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, your New Law is one of charity and grace. You empower us with your Holy Spirit to love as children of your Father. Because of this, the yoke you place on my shoulder is easy, and the burden you ask me to carry is light.
Saturday first week of Lent 2024
“Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.” Matthew 5:26
Was our Lord here giving legal advice regarding a criminal or civil case and how to avoid prosecution? Certainly not. He was presenting us with an image of Himself as the just Judge. And He was exhorting us to show mercy to anyone and everyone who could be seen as our “opponent.”
Forgiveness of another is essential. It can never be withheld. But forgiveness is actually not even enough. The ultimate goal must be reconciliation, which goes much further. In this Gospel above, Jesus exhorts us to “settle” with our opponents, therein implying reconciliation. The RSV version of the Bible says it this way, “Make friends quickly with your accuser…” Working to foster a “friendship” with one who has accused you, especially if it is a false accusation, goes far beyond simply forgiving them.
To reconcile with another and to reestablish a true friendship means that you not only forgive but also do all you can to ensure that you reestablish a relationship of love with that person. It means that you both put your grievance behind you and start anew. Of course, that takes both people to cooperate in love; but, for your part, it means that you work hard to establish this reconciliation.
Think about someone who has hurt you, and, as a result, your relationship with them has been damaged. Have you prayerfully forgiven that person before God? Have you prayed for that person and asked God to forgive them? If so, then you are now ready for the next step of reaching out to them in love to mend your relationship. This takes great humility, especially if the other person was the cause of the hurt and especially if they have not spoken words of sorrow to you, asking for your forgiveness. Don’t wait for them to do so. Look for ways to show that person that you love them and want to heal the hurt. Don’t hold their sin before them or hold on to a grudge. Seek only love and mercy.
Jesus concludes this exhortation with strong words. Essentially, if you fail to do all you can to reconcile and reestablish your relationship, you will be held accountable for it. Though this may seem unfair at first, it is clearly not, because this is the depth of mercy that our Lord offers us every day. We will never be adequately sorry for our sin, but God forgives and reconciles with us anyway. What a grace! But if we fail to offer this same mercy to others, we essentially limit God’s ability to offer this mercy to us, and we will be required to pay back “the last penny” of our own debt to God.
Reflect, today, upon the person who comes to mind with whom you need to fully reconcile and rekindle a relationship of love. Pray for this grace, commit yourself to it and look for opportunities to do so. Do it without reserve and you will never regret your decision.
My most merciful Lord, I thank You for forgiving me and for loving me with such perfection and totality. Thank You for reconciling with me despite my imperfect contrition. Give me a heart, dear Lord, that always seeks to love the sinner in my life. Help me to offer mercy to the fullest extent in imitation of Your divine mercy. Jesus, I trust in You.
Saturday first week of Lent 2024
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you offer your covenant to humanity so that we can share in your divine life. You are truly blessed and offer me a share in this beatitude. I thank you for this offer and will do my best to remain in your love as I journey toward you.
Encountering the Word of God
1. The Old Covenant Law of Moses: Today’s First Reading introduces us to one of the many covenants that God made with humanity and his people – the Covenant of Deuteronomy. The idolatry, apostasy, and sin of the people of Israel at Baal-Peor (Numbers 25:1-6) led to Moses giving Israel the “Second Law” or Law of Deuteronomy. Compared to the original covenant at Mt. Sinai, which was the “First Law,” the covenant of Deuteronomy was a lesser covenant and law and was given by Moses because of Israel's hardness of heart. The Deuteronomy covenant, made right before the people of Israel crossed the Jordan River and entered into the Promised Land of Canaan, had the purpose of restoring and rehabilitating the twelve tribes after their apostasy at Baal-Peor. This Second Law, given by Moses, wanted Israel to recognize its weakness and inability to achieve holiness without God’s help. From the beginning, God wanted his people to be holy and sacred. This was God’s intention when he created Adam and Eve – that all human beings, created in his image and likeness, share in his divine life. This promise was symbolized by the Sabbath rest. The path that leads to this divine rest, holiness, and life is marked out by the Lord’s statutes, commandments, and decrees. The path is characterized especially by docile obedience to the voice of God.
2. The New Covenant Law of Christ: The true model for the one who obeys God’s voice is Jesus Christ. He obeyed his Father always and, through his filial obedience, freed us from the curses of the Old Covenant and established the New Covenant in his blood. Like every covenant, the New Covenant has a law associated with it. Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount articulates the heart of the New Law of the New Covenant. Like the passage from Deuteronomy, which calls the people of Israel to holiness, the passage from Matthew today concludes with a call for the restored tribes of Israel and for us to be holy, to be perfect, as our heavenly Father is holy and perfect.
3. Living under the New Law: It is good to remember that we are not able to reach this holiness and perfection on our own. We need God’s grace and mercy. God’s grace is what enables us to go beyond our human limitations and live and act according to Christian charity. This means loving our enemies, praying for those who persecute us, and welcoming those around us in the Lord. Today’s message is similar to the one we heard yesterday when we were invited to be reconciled with our brothers and sisters and with our opponents. We should not be discouraged when we hear Christ command us to forgive and love and pray for our enemies. Rather, we should be confident that he will empower us with his grace to live the New Law!
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, your New Law is one of charity and grace. You empower us with your Holy Spirit to love as children of your Father. Because of this, the yoke you place on my shoulders is easy and the burden you ask me to carry is light.
During the season of
Lent, we are reminded of our Christian responsibility. Firstly, in our
relationship with God. Are we aware of the covenantal relationship between God
and us? The first reading in Deuteronomy states clearly the declaration of this
covenant; a compact treaty that expects us to follow God’s commands. The constant factor that binds us with God in
this covenantal relationship is the awareness and concrete experience of God’s
goodness and unconditional love for us. (Ps. 118). This moves us to witness to
this love by our love for others. This is the other dimension of our Christian
vocation. If we live these two dimensions, we will gradually find, to our
amazement that transformation takes place in our lives. Then to our surprise,
we begin to see ourselves becoming more Christ-like in our thoughts and
actions.
Thus making sure what
Incarnation means in our lives. This is what the call ‘to be perfect as our
heavenly Father is perfect’ entails. “Lord,
grant us the Lenten grace to be more like You in our thoughts and action, thus
witnessing to your unconditional love for us, sinners.”
