Daily Catholic Mass Readings for June 20, 2023
2 Corinthians
1And so we are making known to you, brothers, the grace of God that has been given in the churches of Macedonia2For within a great experience of tribulation, they have had an abundance of joy, and their profound poverty has only increased the richness of their simplicity3And I bear witness to them, that they were willing to accept what was in accord with their ability, and even what was beyond their ability4For they were begging us, with great exhortation, for the grace and the communication of the ministry that is with the saints5And this is beyond what we had hoped, since they gave themselves, first of all to the Lord, and then also to us, through the will of God6so much so that we petitioned Titus, that in the same manner as he had begun, he would also complete in you this same grace7But, just as in all things you abound in faith and in word and in knowledge and in all solicitude, and even more so in your charity toward us, so also may you abound in this grace8I am speaking, not commanding. But through the solicitude of others, I approve of the good character of your charity9For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, he became poor for your sakes, so that through his poverty, you might become rich
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 the transformative power of grace and the call to live beyond our own limitations. In the second reading from 2 Corinthians, St. Paul commends the churches of Macedonia for their extraordinary generosity. Despite their poverty and tribulations, they gave abundantly, even beyond their means, because they had given themselves first to the Lord. Their example challenges us to consider how we respond to God’s grace in our own lives. Do we allow God’s grace to overflow in acts of love and generosity, or do we hold back, limited by our own fears and calculations?
In the Gospel, Jesus takes this idea a step further by calling us to love not just those who love us, but even our enemies. This is a radical challenge, one that goes against our natural instincts. Jesus reminds us that if we only love those who love us, we are no different from the pagans. True discipleship requires us to imitate God’s universal love, which extends to all people, regardless of whether they deserve it or not. This kind of love is not about feelings but about choices—choosing to pray for those who persecute us, to do good to those who hate us, and to greet all people with kindness.
Both readings point us to the same truth: the Christian life is a life of grace and self-giving love. The Macedonians’ generosity flowed from their encounter with God’s grace, and Jesus’ command to love our enemies is only possible when we allow God’s grace to transform our hearts. As we strive to live this way, we become more like our heavenly Father, who causes the sun to shine and the rain to fall on both the just and the unjust. Let us ask for the grace to go beyond our own limits, to love as God loves, and to give as God gives—freely, abundantly, and without reserve.