Saturday of the First Week of Lent - February 23, 2013
Saturday of the First Week of Lent
Matthew 5:43 – 48
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
I’ve heard contemporary Franciscans talk about how Francis of Assisi loved the Sermon on the Mount, how it was for Francis the core of his spirituality and connection to God.
It is a radical teaching, in which Jesus challenges every part of who we are and what we invest ourselves in. The complete corpus of the teaching is in Matthew 5 – 7.
For instance, today’s text is too easily dismissed, simply because loving neighbor and enemy is too challenging. Too much of self has to be put aside (die) in order to love your enemy.
How difficult it is to love your enemy! We hate the enemy, ignore the enemy, kill the enemy, run away from the enemy . . . the training is within us from our earliest years.
Love, on the other hand, invites us to face, engage, and interact.
This love does not happen by force of our will. That is, we do not love this way because one day we decide it is a good idea to love this way.
This love emerges as the fruit of a life that is being transformed inwardly. The ego has too much to lose in loving enemies. The soul, on the other hand, longs for this kind of love in the world.
Matthew 5:43 – 48
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
I’ve heard contemporary Franciscans talk about how Francis of Assisi loved the Sermon on the Mount, how it was for Francis the core of his spirituality and connection to God.
It is a radical teaching, in which Jesus challenges every part of who we are and what we invest ourselves in. The complete corpus of the teaching is in Matthew 5 – 7.
For instance, today’s text is too easily dismissed, simply because loving neighbor and enemy is too challenging. Too much of self has to be put aside (die) in order to love your enemy.
How difficult it is to love your enemy! We hate the enemy, ignore the enemy, kill the enemy, run away from the enemy . . . the training is within us from our earliest years.
Love, on the other hand, invites us to face, engage, and interact.
This love does not happen by force of our will. That is, we do not love this way because one day we decide it is a good idea to love this way.
This love emerges as the fruit of a life that is being transformed inwardly. The ego has too much to lose in loving enemies. The soul, on the other hand, longs for this kind of love in the world.
Comments
Post a Comment