From the Gospel according to Matthew 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.”
Widening the Heart, Overcoming Limits
Today’s Gospel exhorts us to love — but to love truly, to love everyone, beginning with our spouse. Christian husbands and wives are called to love greatly, with the Love of God, as children of God. The temptation is often to love only in proportion to the love I feel, or to the love I think I receive, and to reduce my love when things are not going so well.
If I begin to feel that you do not love me, then I will not love you either, because it seems to me that you do not deserve it. What do I do when faced with an unjust accusation, a reproach, a humiliation, or contempt for something I have done wrong, or for one of my shortcomings? Do I respond with love, or do I react by resenting my spouse, who at that moment may seem to be behaving like my enemy?
What a sad temptation we may fall into if we are not attentive.
The Lord tells us to love as the Father loves: the good and the bad, the just and the unjust, brothers and strangers, those we believe love us and those who may appear not to… and certainly to love our spouse at all times and in every situation — when things are going well and when they are not, when we feel loved in return and even when our spouse may seem like an enemy.
He invites us to widen our hearts and thus overcome the limits of our poor and meagre love. Love is an act of the will.
Spouse, I have chosen to love you, and I will pour out my love upon you especially when you deserve it least — which is surely when you need it most. In this way I will love in the image of our Heavenly Father.
Brought into Married Life
Mary: Do you know what happened to me today? Do you remember Fiona, my colleague at work — the one with curly hair, who drives a blue car, who has two children that sometimes come around to our house for a snack and to play with ours…?
Charles: Yes, of course I do.
Mary: Well, this morning in the café during the breakfast break, without realising that I was coming up behind her, I heard her telling some colleagues that I’m a bad friend who never helps her when she asks. Me — who always helps whenever I can! And there she was turning everyone against me. I simply couldn’t believe it.
Charles: Oh, my poor dear, what an awful thing. And what did you do?
Mary: I felt like saying a few things to her right there and then. But I asked Our Lady for help, and then I remembered that she’s having a difficult time these days — her mother is ill and she’s very worried… so I turned around and walked away without saying anything.
Charles: That was very good, Mary. But since you’ll probably see her again tomorrow, perhaps you could take one step further: repay evil with good. Go up to her, ask how her mother is doing… and see if there’s anything you can do to help her.
Mary: I’m not sure I’ll be able to… but with the help of the Holy Spirit I’m sure I can. Thank you very much, Charles, for helping me to see the situation with the eyes of God’s children and not with the eyes of the world. You truly are my fitting help.
Mother,
Help us to love our brothers and sisters as your Son taught us, with the love of God the Father. Blessed and glorious are you, Mother! May the Lord be praised for ever.