GRATUITOUS COVENANT LOVE
Introduction
The life of a pious Jew could be summed up as a response to God’s covenant of love with a covenant loyalty. This is also the life of a Christian, even more so: as God takes the initiative of offering his gratuitous love to his people. And so we try to give him a response of faithful love and offer to our neighbour a spontaneous, gratuitous love which comes from the depth of our being and commits us beyond the call of the law. Christian life is then communion with God, communion with people, even with enemies, for there should be no enemies for Christians.
Opening Prayer
Lord God, from you comes the initiative of love.
You seek us out and you tell us:
“I am your God; you are my people.”
You love us in Jesus Christ, your Son.
God, may our response of love
go far beyond the demands of any law.
May we seek you and commune with you
in the deepest of our being
and may we express our gratitude to you
by going to our neighbour
with a love that is spontaneous like yours.
We ask you this through Christ, our Lord. Amen!
1 Reading: Deuteronomy 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
R. (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.
You have commanded that your precepts
be diligently kept.
Oh, that I might be firm in the ways
of keeping your statutes! R.
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.
Verse Before the Gospel: 2 Corinthians 6:2b
Glory and praise to you, oh Christ!
Behold, now is a very acceptable time;
behold, now is the day of salvation.
Glory and praise to you, oh Christ!
Gospel: MATTHEW 5:43-48
Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbour 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.”
Commentary
Love is the identity of a Christian
No other passage of the New Testament contains such a concentrated expression of the Christian ethic of personal relations. To the ordinary person, this passage describes essential Christianity in action.
The phrase “Racial profiling” has become part of our modern vocabulary. It signifies suspicion regarding people of a particular ethnic or racial background solely based on appearance. It was indeed a problem in the past, and it continues to be the curse of the present society. Discrimination based on gender, ethnicity and religion easily affects our outlook on people around us. Discrimination against people based on economic and social status is rampant even in Church communities today.
The Gospel today directly addresses this problem. The Mosaic law commanded love of one’s fellow citizens, which implied hatred toward the pagans. But, the Commandment of Jesus calls on his disciples to look beyond and to love everyone. Pope Francis explains what makes a Christian different from others. He says, “The mystery of Christian life is loving our enemies and praying for our persecutors. Forgiveness, prayer, and love for those who seek to destroy us is the path Jesus has laid out for us. The challenge of the Christian life is asking the Lord for the grace to bless our enemies and to love them.” Well said, but how far is it possible? How many families do we know where no more love exists among siblings, spouses, or children and their parents?
We may boast of having no enemies. But think of the times when we discriminated against our brothers and sisters because of their socio-economic status or religious beliefs or faced discrimination and were rejected for these same reasons.
Cases of rejection and labelling people as “bad” or “good-for-nothing” are no more Christian because they are God’s children as we are! Hatred, gossips and acts of violence are totally un-Christian. Rejection and denial of those who disagree with one’s personal ideologies and projects are against the life principles of Jesus. He taught us to love, to love without conditions and boundaries. To love even the enemies.
Jesus sets “the bar very high” for those who wish to become his disciple. Had the world listened to the voice of Christ, it would never have heard about wars, killings and fighting. The crises of refugees and displaced people would never have occurred amidst us. Millions of people are displaced and are subjected to abuses and torture in this time of crisis. Can we be a little more compassionate and empathetic towards people on the streets, migrant workers, and low-income families…? Let us continue to pray for the people of Ukraine and Russia and also refugees and suffering people worldwide in this time of Lent.
Intentions
– That our Church and our Christian communities may be places of forgiveness, where we let God’s sun shine on good and bad alike, we pray:
– That all of us may let our conscience guide us to choose good above evil, also when it is uncomfortable, we pray:
– That love may remain or become again the key to our understanding of all laws and commandments, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord, our God, loving Father,
in this Eucharist,
your Son gives himself to you and to us
with a free response of total commitment.
May he share this kind of love with us,
that we may become inventive and creative
in committing ourselves to the happiness
of all those far and near,
that together we may be your people
and you our God for ever
in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen!
Prayer after Communion
Lord, our God,
you have made us your priestly people
to proclaim to the whole world,
that you are a saving and loving God.
Grateful for your spontaneous love,
may we be aware of our task,
and be your word that encourages and forgives,
your hands that bless,
your feet that seek out what is lost,
in the strength of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen!
Blessing
Love your enemies and pray even for those who hurt you. It is not an easy task, but something that should be the mark of Christians. We have hurt God and he forgives. We should do the same for one another, with the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!