Deut
26:16-19 / Matthew 5:43-48
Jesus teaches
about love: “Pray for your persecutors"
A father and his
son were traveling by bus. The father inadvertently
violated a minor safety regulation. The bus driver
went berserk. He verbally abused the
father, humiliating him in front of his little son and the rest of the
passengers. After it was all over, the boy
said to his father, “Dad, you didn't have to take
that He was out of line.”
“Son,” said the
father, “that poor man has to put up
with himself twenty-four hours a day. The least I can do is to put up with
him for two minutes.”
****
How do we respond when we are
humiliated or treated rudely? Lord, help us respond to
verbal abuse not by booming abusive ourselves, but by showing understanding, as
you did.
****
People who are searching for a religion to adhere to
may ask this question: How is Christianity different from the rest of the other
religions? Well, of course there are many ways to answer that question. One
answer could be this - Christianity doesn't just teach you to be good;
Christianity teaches you to be like God! That was what Jesus meant when He said: You must be perfect, just as your
heavenly Father is perfect.
In other words, we must be holy, just as our heavenly Father is holy. We must be like God our Father, no less. To be like God means to do what Jesus did. And that is to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us. People might say that that is crazy, but that is what it means to be holy. So can it be possible to be holy as God is holy?
As the 1st reading puts it, when we declare that God is our only God, then God will also make the declaration that we are His very own people. God will consecrate us with His love and we will be living images of His holiness in the world.
So is the Lord God our only God? That is the question that we have to answer in the purifying season of Lent.
****
LITURGY:
Penitential Rite:
In other words, we must be holy, just as our heavenly Father is holy. We must be like God our Father, no less. To be like God means to do what Jesus did. And that is to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us. People might say that that is crazy, but that is what it means to be holy. So can it be possible to be holy as God is holy?
As the 1st reading puts it, when we declare that God is our only God, then God will also make the declaration that we are His very own people. God will consecrate us with His love and we will be living images of His holiness in the world.
So is the Lord God our only God? That is the question that we have to answer in the purifying season of Lent.
****
LITURGY:
Introduction
The life of a pious Jew could be summed up as a
response to God’s covenant of love with a covenant loyalty. This is also the
life of a Christian, even more so: as God takes the initiative of offering his
gratuitous love to his people and to each of us, so we try to give him a
response of faithful love and offer to our neighbour a spontaneous, gratuitous
love which comes from the depth of our being and commits us beyond the call of
the law. Christian life is then communion with God, communion with people, even
with enemies, for there should be no enemies for Christians.
Penitential Rite:
-Today you are making this agreement with the
Lord: he is to be your God and you
are to walk in his ways, LHM
-today the Lord is making this agreement with you: you
will be a people sacred to the Lord, your God, as he promised, CHM
-For
if you love those who love you, what difference is there between the tax
collectors and you?, LHM
Opening Prayer
Lord God, from you comes the initiative of love. You
seek us out and you tell us: “I am your God; you are my people.” You love us in
Jesus Christ, your Son. God, may our response of love go far beyond the demands
of any law. May we seek you and commune with you in the deepest of our being
and may we express our gratitude to you by going to our neighbor with a love
that is spontaneous like yours. We ask you this through Christ our Lord.
Love your enemies and pray even for those who hurt
you. Not an easy task, but something that should be the mark of Christians. We
have hurt God and he forgives. We should do the same for one another, with the
blessing of almighty God,
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God, loving Father, in this Eucharist your
Son gives himself to you and to us with a free response of total commitment. May
he share this kind of love with us, that we may become inventive and creative in
committing ourselves to the happiness of all those far and near, that together
we may be your people and you our God for ever in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God, you have made us your priestly people to
proclaim to the whole world that you are a saving and loving God. Grateful for
your spontaneous love, may we be aware of our task, and be your word that
encourages and forgives, your hands that bless, your feet that seek out what is
lost, in the strength of Jesus Christ our Lord.
