Daily Readings - Sat Mar 12 2022
Deuteronomy
16Today the Lord your God has instructed you to carry out these commandments and judgments, and to keep and fulfill them, with all your heart and with all your soul17Today, you have chosen the Lord to be your God, so that you may walk in his ways, and keep his ceremonies and commandments and judgments, and obey his command18Today, the Lord has chosen you, so that you may be his particular people, just as he has spoken to you, and so that you may keep all his precepts19and so that he may cause you to be more exalted than all the nations which he has created, for the sake of his own praise and name and glory, in order that you may be a holy people for the Lord your God, just as he has spoken.
Matthew
43You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor, and you shall have hatred for your enemy.44But I say to you: Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. And pray for those who persecute and slander you45In this way, you shall be sons of your Father, who is in heaven. He causes his sun to rise upon the good and the bad, and he causes it to rain upon the just and the unjust46For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Do not even tax collectors behave this way47And if you greet only your brothers, what more have you done? Do not even the pagans behave this way48Therefore, be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on our relationship with God and with others. In the first reading from Deuteronomy, we hear about the covenant between God and his people. The Israelites are reminded that they have been chosen by God to be a holy people, called to walk in His ways and keep His commandments. This is not just about following rules, but about a deep, personal relationship with the living God who has chosen them for His own praise and name. This passage reminds us of our own calling as followers of God, to live a life set apart for Him.
In the Gospel, Jesus takes this idea of being set apart and takes it a radical step further. He challenges us to love not just our neighbors, but even our enemies. He says, "Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." This doesn't mean we have to be sinless, but rather that we are to reflect God's character of boundless love and mercy. The Father sends the sun and the rain on both the good and the bad. So too, we are called to love without limits, even those who oppose or harm us. This is not a suggestion but a command, one that cuts against the grain of our natural inclinations.
So, how do we live this out? It starts with prayer. We are to pray for those who persecute us, that they might come to know the love of God. It means choosing to do good even when it's hard, even when we don't feel like it. It means greeting others with kindness, not just our friends but everyone. This is the way of holiness, the way of being perfect as the Father is perfect. It's not easy, but it's the path to true life and true love. Let us ask for the grace to love as God loves, without limits or conditions, that we might truly be the children of our heavenly Father.
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The readings today invite us to reflect on our relationship with God and with others. In the first reading from Deuteronomy, we hear about the covenant between God and his people. The Israelites are reminded that they have been chosen by God to be a holy people, called to walk in His ways and keep His commandments. This is not just about following rules, but about a deep, personal relationship with the living God who has chosen them for His own praise and name. This passage reminds us of our own calling as followers of God, to live a life set apart for Him.
In the Gospel, Jesus takes this idea of being set apart and takes it a radical step further. He challenges us to love not just our neighbors, but even our enemies. He says, "Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." This doesn't mean we have to be sinless, but rather that we are to reflect God's character of boundless love and mercy. The Father sends the sun and the rain on both the good and the bad. So too, we are called to love without limits, even those who oppose or harm us. This is not a suggestion but a command, one that cuts against the grain of our natural inclinations.
So, how do we live this out? It starts with prayer. We are to pray for those who persecute us, that they might come to know the love of God. It means choosing to do good even when it's hard, even when we don't feel like it. It means greeting others with kindness, not just our friends but everyone. This is the way of holiness, the way of being perfect as the Father is perfect. It's not easy, but it's the path to true life and true love. Let us ask for the grace to love as God loves, without limits or conditions, that we might truly be the children of our heavenly Father.