Daily Reflection – Feb 20, 2016
Saturday 20 February 2016
First Reading: Deuteronomy 26:16-19
Responsorial Psalm:
Happy are those who follow the law of the Lord!
Psalm 118(119):1-2, 4-5, 7-8
Gospel Reading: Matthew 5:43-48
Today’s Note: Saturday of the First Week of Lent
Gospel Reading:
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.”
Reflection:
Lent is a time of constant reminders.
It is a time when we are reminded to turn to God, who is infinite love and faithfulness. In any relationship we commit to in love, we seek to express our love and gratitude in many ways. Jesus is trying to help the disciples to think in a new and bigger way about their relationship with God. Living the Law is the very basic way of expressing this commitment. Allowing its tenets to become so deeply embedded in our souls that it constantly generates new and bigger responses is what Jesus is calling disciples to. If you love someone, you don’t just tick the boxes on what you need to do, you try to make every moment a way of expressing your complete commitment to that relationship.
