Reading 1 Dt 26:16-19
Moses spoke to the people, saying:
“This day the LORD, your God,
commands you to observe these statutes and decrees.
Be careful, then,
to observe them with all your heart and with all your soul.
Today you are making this agreement with the LORD:
he is to be your God and you are to walk in his ways
and observe his statutes, commandments and decrees,
and to hearken to his voice.
And today the LORD is making this agreement with you:
you are to be a people peculiarly his own, as he promised you;
and provided you keep all his commandments,
he will then raise you high in praise and renown and glory
above all other nations he has made,
and you will be a people sacred to the LORD, your God,
as he promised.”
Responsorial Psalm 119:1-2, 4-5, 7-8
- (1b) Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Blessed are they whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the LORD.
Blessed are they who observe his decrees,
who seek him with all their heart.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
You have commanded that your precepts
be diligently kept.
Oh, that I might be firm in the ways
of keeping your statutes!
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
I will give you thanks with an upright heart,
when I have learned your just ordinances.
I will keep your statutes;
do not utterly forsake me.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Gospel Mt 5:43-48
Jesus said to his disciples:
“You have heard that it was said,
You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
But I say to you, love your enemies,
and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your heavenly Father,
for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,
and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?
Do not the tax collectors do the same?
And if you greet your brothers and sisters only,
what is unusual about that?
Do not the pagans do the same?
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
In today’s first reading, Moses told the people how important it is to obey the Lord, his will, his commands and statutes. However, we know that sometimes it is difficult to obey the Lord, sometimes our human will want to protest against what God commands, sometimes our flesh struggle with God’s ways. An example is what we have in today’s gospel, the Lord tells us to love even those who hate us, to be kind to those unkind to us, to include our persecutors in prayers, not for untimely death but for mercy and conversion, we are not to refrain from greeting even those who are unfriendly to us.
The question is “why on earth shall I do these?” The answers are;
- Because this is what God wants us to do and God is wiser than us and deserving of our obedience. The Psalmist says in today’s responsorial Psalm “they are happy who do his will…”
- Because in doing this we reflect the nature and character of God who is our Father and we, His Children.
III. Because this is how the Lord also treats us and He wants us to treat others that way.
- He wants us to love our enemies because hatred will neither do us or nor them any good but love is the greatest weapon and it brings about unimaginable results.
We must admit that this is hard. However, we cannot despair because we also know that the grace of God is available to us and it makes possible and easier what is very difficult and nearly impossible. Relying on God’s grace and intentionally denying the flesh, we can begin to put these divine commands to practice.
Sermon preached by Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Okami on March 7, 2020.