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Theo Tigno•
6/14/2005 12:48 pm
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Tuesday, June 14th 2005 |
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 only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect."
Dawg's thought:
Today's prayer intention is for those who endure the dreadful heat of the summer's day, especially the homeless and those who are crossing the borders.
How do you know your enemies? I often find them through my emotions, and in particular the emotion of anger.
Recognizing that I am angry is not sinful, and is in fact good to recognize. I "felt" angry when I heard about the unjust way Terri Schiavo was treated in the last moments of her life. It is okay to "feel" angry, but it is what I do with that anger that leads to either virtue or sin. I can harden my heart to anyone who supports euthanasia. I can harden my heart to anyone who supports abortions. I can harden my heart to those who perform abortions. I can just as easily take away their dignity in my own heart just as they have taken the dignity away from unborn infants. I can easily become them by choosing to "objectify" them instead of recognizing them as a person.
On the other hand, we can be led to virtue. We can be led to pray for them, recognizing that God's gift of life is in them too. Somewhere in there, there is a person who is in need of redemption. Terri Schiavo's husband is not evil. An abortion doctor is not evil. Anyone who has turned a person into an object is not evil, but the act is. We must pray for them and forgive them for any lie they have done in their poverty. Take care and God Bless.
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