Daily Readings - Sat Mar 12 2022
Deuteronomy
16"This day the LORD your God commands you to do these statutes and rules. You shall therefore be careful to do them with all your heart and with all your soul.17You have declared today that the LORD is your God, and that you will walk in his ways, and keep his statutes and his commandments and his rules, and will obey his voice.18And the LORD has declared today that you are a people for his treasured possession, as he has promised you, and that you are to keep all his commandments,19and that he will set you in praise and in fame and in honor high above all nations that he has made, and that you shall be a people holy to the LORD your God, as he promised."
Matthew
43"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'44But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,45so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.46For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?47And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?48You therefore must be perfect, 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.