The Lord spoke to Moses; he said: ‘Speak to the whole community of the sons of Israel and say to them:
‘“Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy.
‘“You must not bear hatred for your brother in your heart. You must openly tell him, your neighbour, of his offence; this way you will not take a sin upon yourself. You must not exact vengeance, nor must you bear a grudge against the children of your people. You must love your neighbour as yourself. I am the Lord.”’
Didn’t you realise that you were God’s temple and that the Spirit of God was living among you? If anybody should destroy the temple of God, God will destroy him, because the temple of God is sacred; and you are that temple.
Make no mistake about it: if any one of you thinks of himself as wise, in the ordinary sense of the word, then he must learn to be a fool before he really can be wise. Why? Because the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As scripture says: The Lord knows wise men’s thoughts: he knows how useless they are; or again: God is not convinced by the arguments of the wise. So there is nothing to boast about in anything human: Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life and death, the present and the future, are all your servants; but you belong to Christ and Christ belongs to God.
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You have learnt how it was said: Eye for eye and tooth for tooth. But I say this to you: offer the wicked man no resistance. On the contrary, if anyone hits you on the right cheek, offer him the other as well; if a man takes you to law and would have your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone orders you to go one mile, go two miles with him. Give to anyone who asks, and if anyone wants to borrow, do not turn away.
‘You have learnt how it was said: You must love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I say this to you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you; in this way you will be sons of your Father in heaven, for he causes his sun to rise on bad men as well as good, and his rain to fall on honest and dishonest men alike. For if you love those who love you, what right have you to claim any credit? Even the tax collectors do as much, do they not? And if you save your greetings for your brothers, are you doing anything exceptional? Even the pagans do as much, do they not? You must therefore be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect.’
Reflecting on today's Gospel, I came across these words: "The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit, he has ceased to be wise and to do good. He devices wickedness on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not abhor evil. Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches the clouds." (Psalm 36:3-5)
In this psalm, David contrasted the way of life of unbelievers and believers. In conclusion, he affirmed that God will protect and sustain the faithful and punish and destroy the wicked. According to David, the unbelieving person is one who has "no fear of God before his eyes."
Regardless of the circumstances of life, whether we are in a moment of sanity or going through a time of trials such as being bullied at work, made a laughing stock in the neighborhood, persecuted for one's belief, victimized by others' gossip, and the like, let's hold on to God’s love which is always a beacon of hope, ever-present and inexhaustible source of strength and confidence. God's love for us is limitless. Do not worry if people say bad things against you, stay humble, and do not be disturbed. "And when you are disturbed, do not sin, ponder it on your beds and just be silent." (Psalm 4:4). Retaliation is out of the question here. As the saying goes "Live and let live" or, much better "Let go and let God"! A word of caution though. When Jesus tells us to bear with one another, it doesn't mean we simply accept evil as something normal. We must endure evil without compromising our sense of sin. For example, bribing government officials would seem to be norm to fast track our request and stealing might be the easiest way to get rich, but they are still evil.
Prayer
Whenever we hear the things that people are saying about us, heavenly Father, we want so much to set the record straight! We realize that we have two alternatives, to identify and confront the source, or to let it go and let the truth become self-evident. Please show us what the wisest course of action to take. Then please help us to follow through with confidence, knowing that You are ultimately in control of the situation. We pray, Lord, for enlightenment of our minds, soul, and spirit, and we ask You to please bless us all, even those who persecute us. Amen.
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