Monday, June 06, 2016
10th Sunday in
Ordinary Time
1st Reading:
1 Kgs 17: 1-6
Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12
When he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.He began to teach them, saying:Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me.Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)
Today’s Gospel reading is often referred to as “The Beatitudes” because of the repetition of the word “blessed” which is “beati” in Latin. The point of The Beatitudes is that those who suffer now enjoy prosperity in the next life. This is favorable to those who suffer here, considering how short temporal life is. The arrangement sounds unfair to those who call the shots in this lifetime. But without this reversal of fortune, life would appear unfair to those who suffer here. God prefers to be fair to the least.
But while God’s justice supports reversal of fortunes, we should not look forward to the day we’d be seeing our persecutors languish. This is a badge of hatred – a badge irreconcilable with Christianity. Only God has the right to punish the wicked. “Vengeance is mine”, says the Lord.
How much harm can we really inflict upon our enemies out of revenge? Would doing physical harm to our enemies be enough to satisfy our quest for justice? The exaction of justice is better left to the vengeance of God, for when the hand of God’s justice strikes, the repercussions can be scary.
For the consolation of persecuted ones, nature is capable of striking back at evil people following the law of comeuppance. Under this law, a bad person suffers the results of his wrongdoing. This explains why reversal of fortunes can also happen in this lifetime. When this happens, pay tribute to the justice of God but never nurture a vengeful heart. By enjoying the misfortune of your enemies you already enjoy in advance your fair share of the reversal of fortune and can expect nothing in the life to come. – (Atty.) Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM. Email: dan.delosangeles@gmail.com.
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