Matthew 5:43-48

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.”

Opening Prayer: Heavenly Father, you offer your covenant to humanity so that we can share in your divine life. You are truly blessed and offer me a share in this beatitude. I thank you for this offer and will do my best to remain in your love as I journey toward you.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Be Holy: Three verses in the Bible encourage us to be like our God and Father. The first is found in the Book of Leviticus. It reads: “Be holy, for I the Lord your God, am holy” (Leviticus 11:44-45; 19:2). The Hebrew word for holy is “qadosh.” It means the state or quality of being ‘set apart’ and ‘sacred.’ God is the most holy (Isaiah 6:3). “Yet the holiness of God radiates forth and sanctifies created realities as well” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 196). Angels, priests, places, and even time (the Sabbath) are holy because they are set apart from the profane and dedicated to the Lord God. “Israel as a whole is set apart from other nations to serve the Lord as a holy people (Lev 20:26; Deut 7:6). Leviticus also calls the people of Israel to preserve this national holiness by a commitment to personal holiness. Its mandate is to ‘be holy as the Lord God is ‘holy’ (Lev 11:44-45; 19:2; 20:7: 21:8). Imitating the Lord in this way means adhering to the commandments of his holy covenant (Num 15:40)” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 196).

2. Be Perfect: The second verse is found in Matthew. The first part of the Sermon on the Mount concludes with the admonition: “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). God is holy and God is perfect. Perfection means that something is complete and has no defects. God is perfect and doesn’t lack anything. We, on the other hand, are imperfect. We will only be perfect in heaven. “Just as Israel was to imitate God in being ‘holy’ (Lev 19:2), so Jesus calls the Church to imitate God’s perfect compassion (Lk 6:36). The Father is kind and merciful to the good and evil alike, so his children must extend mercy even to their enemies” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 1735).

3. Be Merciful: The third verse is found in Luke, who includes, in the “Sermon on the Plain,” the admonition: “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36). “Mercy is the towering rule of Christ’s kingdom (10:36-37; Mt 9:13; CCC, 1458). Jesus reformulates the teaching of Lev 19:2, replacing the command to imitate Yahweh’s holiness with a command to imitate his mercy. The subtle difference between these divine attributes points to the difference between the Old Covenant and the New. The quest for holiness in ancient Israel meant that God’s people had to separate themselves from everything ungodly, unclean, and impure, including Gentiles and sinners (Lev 15:31; 20:26). Jesus gives holiness a new focus, defining it as mercy that reaches out to others, and no longer divides people into segregated camps or disqualifies some and not others to enter the family of God.” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 1843).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, your New Law is one of charity and grace. You empower us with your Holy Spirit to love as children of your Father. Because of this, the yoke you place on my shoulder is easy, and the burden you ask me to carry is light.

Living the Word of God: During this season of Lent, can I spend some time contemplating the ultimate goal of my life? How do I want to spend eternity? How can I love God and my neighbor more perfectly and deeply these upcoming weeks?