Path of Perfection

Today’s Gospel Text: "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so 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. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matt 5:43-48

Reflection: Again and again we come across people who ask: If there is a God then why does he allow evil; murder, killing, mass destruction, terrorism, rape, incest, robbing the poor, corruption, etc.,

On the other hand you have hunger, disease, sickness, and untoward deaths; the pain of separation, someone losing their near and dear ones.

The hardness of human hearts towards their neighbor further adds to the complicated scenario.

Further, to add to the complications, there are the self-styled god-bashers who never lose an opportunity to bash-up God or even if they would want to acknowledge one then they prefer to create their own gods; a religion of humanism which ultimately is destructive of humanity.

Some even think that they can do better than God and historically speaking there is nothing new in these human assertions, based on pride.   

Jesus the revelation of God, who came to reveal to us the truth about God, gives us an understanding about God both in himself and his action and also in this passage of scripture above.

If God were what Jesus reveals then evil is bound to flourish and may even increase to a level which God can endure because his love tolerates and respects the freewill given to man. 

His endurance is seen at Calvary, when he endured the blasphemies of men, the physical and verbal tortures the wicked men subjected him to.

Yet, he put into practice what he also taught his beloved and dedicated disciples;

“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so 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.”  (vss. 44-45)

And he did put into practice what he taught, even at that moment when the greatest ever evil perpetuated by men, when they crucified the most innocent man in the history of humanity:

   

"Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." Luke 23:34

Prayer: Help me Lord to walk the path of perfection which you have taught through your own example.

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