Thông thường, chúng ta có một cái gì đó trở nên đáng mơ ước chỉ bởi vì chúng ta không thể có nó hoặc nó thuộc về người khác. Nếu nó là của chúng ta, có lẽ nó sẽ không còn hấp dẫn đối với chúng ta nữa. Vua A-háp muốn có vườn nho của ông Na-bốt, và khi ông Na-bốt từ chối bán nó cho nhà Vua, Nhà Vua quá thèm khát và muốn có cho được vườn nho đó và chính vì thế nhà vua đã phát ốm và chán nản, cuối cùng vì sự ham muốn và thèm khát quá độ đã khiến nhà vua nghĩ cách giết chết Na-bốt để chiếm đoạt vườn nho mà nhà vua hàng khao khát. Đôi khi trong cuộc sống, Chúng ta có thể thấy mình đang ganh đua với người khác để chiếm hữu cho được những thứ mình muốn, như vật chất quyền lực, các mối quan hệ, tất cả chỉ vì chúng ta muốn những thứ ấy là tài sản của riêng mình. Đây là phần lớn cas gốc rễ đã gây ra những xung đột trên thế giới. Khi chúng ta nhận ra chúng ta có xu hướng này trong lòng của chính mình, thì chúng ta có thể bắt đầu nên phá vỡ cái vòng luẩn quẩn này đe chúng ta có thể có được sự tự do trong tâm hồn.
Trong căn bản, Chúa muốn chúng ta quên đi những sự báo thù hay việc ăn thua đủ. Bằng mọi cách, Chúng ta cần phải đứng lên để bảo vệ cho công lý và cho những gì là sự thật, là chân lý, nhưng chúng ta không dùng đến sự hận thù và bạo lực. Vi đấy là những cách của thế giới mà chúng ta đang sống. Khi nhìn vào thế giới kinh hoàng mà con người chúng ta đã tạo ra! Khi chúng ta thấy mình bị xúc phạm, hay bị ngược đãi, chúng ta phải biết cưỡng lại sự cám dỗ khi đáp ứng với lời nói hay những hành động hận thù bằng tấm lòng biết thương yêu, biết tha thứ để để đem hòa bình đến cho mọi người; Chúng ta hãy cầu nguyện cho những người quấy rầy, làm hại chúng ta nếu được như thế, chúng ta sẽ tìm thấy một sự khác biệt trong chính mình, và cuối cùng ở nơi những người khác nữa. Lạy Chúa, giúp chúng con vượt qua khỏi mọi sự gian ác với lòng tốt và tử tế của chúng con.
Often something becomes desirable only because we cannot have it or it belongs to another. If it were ours for the taking, perhaps it would not be as attractive to us. King Ahab wanted the vineyard of Naboth, and when Naboth refused to sell it to him, his burning desire to have it made him sick and depressed and eventually led to poor Naboth’s murder. We can find ourselves competing with others for possession, recognition, power, relationships all because we want them as our own possession. This is at the root of much of the world's conflict. When we recognize this tendency within ourselves, we can begin to break the vicious cycle and become free.
Turn the other cheek — do not resist the evildoer - go the extra mile — give freely to others — these are some of the hardest words in the New Testament. They seem unrealistic, and we can think of so many situations that seem to call for resistance or retaliation. But Jesus was giving us the tools to break the cycle of violence and live in the peace of God.
Basically, he asked us to give up revenge and getting even. By all means, stand up for justice and what is right, but do not resort to hatred and violence. These are the world’s methods, and look at the terrible world they have created! When we find ourselves insulted, put down, or persecuted, resist the temptation to respond with hateful words and actions. Send out blessings of peace; pray for the other. You will find a difference in yourself and eventually in others. Lord, help me to overcome evil with kindness.
Monday 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2026
Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil… Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles.” Matthew 5:38–39, 41
The phrase “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” refers to the Mosaic Law of Retaliation (cf. Exodus 21:23–25). When Moses instituted this law, vengeance often escalated in response to an injury, leading to cycles of increasing violence. The law served as a form of natural justice, ensuring that retribution was proportional to the offense, preventing conflicts from spiraling out of control.
Though the purpose of the Law of Retaliation was to curb excessive vengeance and restore order, Jesus revealed that true reconciliation is achieved only through radical mercy. He taught that unlimited mercy is a far greater remedy for discord, breaking the cycle of retaliation at its root. Before His coming and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, humanity lacked the grace necessary to live out this higher calling. However, in Christ, His followers were empowered by divine grace to overcome cycles of vengeance—not with retribution, but with mercy.
To illustrate this higher form of reconciliation, Jesus references a Roman law that allowed soldiers to compel Jews to carry their military equipment for one Roman mile—approximately 4,855 feet, slightly shorter than the modern mile. This law was a source of humiliation for Jews, who were often forced to drop what they were doing to serve their oppressors. They had little recourse against this injustice, making it a painful reminder of their subjugation.
Jesus does not justify this injustice; rather, He transforms it by calling His followers to freely exceed the demands of the law. Instead of begrudgingly fulfilling the imposed burden, they were to willingly double it—going two miles instead of one. This radical response would have astonished the Roman soldiers, turning an act of forced servitude into an unexpected display of generosity.
The wisdom in this command lies in the freedom it offers. Carrying another’s burden was not inherently evil; the pain came not from the injustice but from the humiliation. By embracing the burden voluntarily—walking the second mile willingly—Jesus’ followers would rise above the sting of pride and resentment. Instead of being victims, they became witnesses to God’s unmerited mercy, showing that true strength lies not in retaliation, but in generosity.
The principle behind this elevated teaching on justice has countless applications in our lives. Whenever we experience injustice or unfair treatment, we face a choice: We can insist on strict natural justice, or we can choose supernatural charity. Those who cling to mere justice often find themselves trapped in cycles of outrage, condemnation, and resentment. But those who choose to lavish unmerited charity upon others—freely forgiving offenses and going beyond what is required—discover a profound interior freedom.
Charity does not contradict natural reason; rather, it surpasses and elevates it, transforming mere human justice into something divine. To understand and live this truth, we need the Gift of Wisdom, which enables us to see life from God’s perspective rather than our own limited view. This divine wisdom allows us to respond not as the world expects, but as Christ commands—breaking the cycle of retaliation with the transformative power of mercy.
Reflect today on the ways you have been wronged. At times, the pain of injustice is real and the offense against us undeniable. Yet the true question is not whether we have been mistreated, but how we will respond. Jesus calls us to rise above our wounded pride and respond with acts of kindness and unmerited generosity. By embracing this higher way, we break free from the bondage of resentment and enter into the freedom of divine Wisdom.
Most generous God, Your mercy far surpasses the strict justice I often seek. Grant me the Gift of Wisdom, so that I may grasp the infinite value of mercy and extend it freely in the face of every injustice I endure. Help me to trust not in my own sense of fairness, but in Your divine will, which brings true justice through love. Jesus, I trust in You.
Opening Prayer: Lord God, help me to see how true justice and mercy flow from you, the source of all justice and the fount of all mercy. I am called to imitate your justice and mercy. I cannot do it on my own. I need you and trust in the gift of your grace to empower me.
1. The Old Law: In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is giving the new Torah (Teaching) of the Messiah. So far, he has brought four laws from the Torah of Moses to their fulfillment and perfection. Today, we hear about a fifth law, and tomorrow we will hear about a sixth law. The old Torah forbade murder; the new Torah demands reconciliation. The old Torah forbade adultery, the new Torah demands chastity in thought and action. The old Torah permitted divorce; the new Torah demands life-long fidelity in marriage. The old Torah forbade swearing false oaths; the new Torah demands truthfulness in all speech. The old Torah limited retaliation and excessive retribution; the new Torah demands mercy and generosity. The old Torah set up social and cultural barriers as protection; the new Torah demands love of the other and our enemies.
Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.” Matthew 5:41–42
As the faith of Israel developed over the centuries, prior to the coming of Christ, there were various stages of advancement in morality. Prior to the establishment of moral laws in the Old Testament, it was common for families to inflict severe vengeance upon other families when harm was done to them. This caused ongoing violence and feuds. But advancements were made when the law of retaliation was established which said, “When a man causes a disfigurement in his neighbor, as he has done it shall be done to him, fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he has disfigured a man, he shall be disfigured” (Leviticus 24:19–20). This was a new form of justice that forbade the vengeance from being more severe than the crime that was retaliated against. At the time, this helped end ongoing family feuds that continually escalated.
It is this law of retaliation that Jesus addresses in our Gospel today. The new and much higher form of morality that Jesus taught called His disciples to “offer no resistance to one who is evil” and to turn the other cheek when evil was done to them. Though strict justice requires satisfaction for sin, Jesus’ new teaching was that mercy pays every debt. First, His mercy bestowed upon us, for the forgiveness of our sins, pays the debt of our sins when we truly repent and change. But if we desire our debts to God for our sins to be forgiven and repaid, then we must do the same to others, holding nothing against them.
But Jesus goes even further. In the passage quoted above, Jesus exhorts His disciples to a new and radical form of charity and generosity. This new moral code was how the children of the Kingdom of God were now called to act. It was not enough to only forgive and to forget the debt one owes you because of their sin. Mercy now requires us to “Give to the one who asks” and to walk “two miles” with one who only asks you to walk one mile with them. In other words, Christian charity far exceeds every concept of strict justice and even goes beyond basic forgiveness. This was certainly a new and radical teaching from our Lord.
Think about this new moral law in your own life. What level of “justice” do you most commonly live by? When someone wrongs you, do you live like those prior to the Old Testament laws by seeking to get back at them to an even greater degree than the harm done to you? Do you live by the law that seeks the equal justice of an eye for an eye? Do you seek to forgive and offer mercy as a payment for the debt another has incurred by the sin they have committed against you? Or, ideally, do you strive to go even beyond the act of forgiveness and bestow mercy in a new and generous, superabundant way? This last level of love is difficult to obtain and live, but it is the way our Lord treats us and it is the way that He calls us to treat others.
Reflect, today, upon any hurt you may currently be struggling with. And consider the way in which you have been dealing with that hurt. As you seek to understand this new law of love and mercy given by our Lord, pray to Him that He will give you the grace you need to give to others the same level of mercy that God gives to you.
My generous Lord, You offer Your mercy in superabundance. You not only forgive when we repent, You also restore us to far greater heights of holiness than we could ever deserve. Give me the grace I need, dear Lord, to offer this same level of mercy and love to those who have sinned against me. I forgive all who have hurt me. Please help me to also love them with all my heart. Jesus, I trust in You.
Opening Prayer: Lord God, help me to see how true justice and mercy flow from you, the source of all justice and the fount of all mercy. I am called to imitate your justice and mercy. I cannot do it on my own, and so, I trust in the gift of your grace to empower me.
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