Readings:
Deuteronomy 26:16-19
Matthew 5:43-48
Reflection
“But I say this to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”.
Whilst it is easier sometimes to walk away or walk on the other side of the road from people in our lives that challenge us too greatly, to turn a blind eye, to distract ourselves and avoid problems in our lives that keep showing up, these scriptures keep pointing us to prayer and to loving others even when… (Notice I don’t complete the sentence cause that’s for you to fill in your own personal circumstances). Even when I don’t feel like it; even when I’m hurting; even when I don’t deserve it; even when they did this to themselves; even when … I can keep going. Whatever the circumstance is in your life, God calls and beckons us to be perfect, to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us and speak ill of our name.
When I was a kid, I would look up at the sun and try and make out the outline. Of course, when I blinked a few times and looked away, my perception of things changed. Everything looked different I would see the sun everywhere! Prayer for me is kinda like that… looking to the son/God in order for my perception to change so that I can go out into the world and love my enemies even when…
May today you look to the son, spend a bit of time in prayer and allow God to give you everything you need so that you can go out into the world showing the perfect love of God through your thoughts, actions and words.
Please know that as I write this message, it is every bit for me to really hear it too.
Jo McDade is the Team Manager of The Passionist Youth Retreat Team, Wife and Mother of 4 kiddos and basically a spiritual person on a human experience!