“Do others as you would have them do to you.” (Lk 6:31)
READING OF THE DAY
A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians
1 COR 8:1B-7, 11-13
Brothers and sisters: Knowledge inflates with pride, but love builds up. If anyone supposes he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if one loves God, one is known by him.
So about the eating of meat sacrificed to idols: we know that there is no idol in the world, and that there is no God but one. Indeed, even though there are so-called gods in heaven and on earth (there are, to be sure, many “gods” and many “lords”), yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom all things are and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things are and through whom we exist.
But not all have this knowledge. There are some who have been so used to idolatry up until now that, when they eat meat sacrificed to idols, their conscience, which is weak, is defiled.
Thus, through your knowledge, the weak person is brought to destruction, the brother for whom Christ died. When you sin in this way against your brothers and wound their consciences, weak as they are, you are sinning against Christ. Therefore, if food causes my brother to sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I may not cause my brother to sin.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Luke
LK 6:27-38
Jesus said to his disciples: “To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, and get back the same amount. But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as also your Father is merciful.
“Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”
THURSDAY OF THE TWENTY-THIRD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - LK 6:27-38
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear People of God,
Today's Word of God teaches people three basic conditions: love your enemies, be merciful to others, and do not judge anyone.
The first condition: "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."
Jesus' teaching today is a wonderful lesson in charity: love your enemies. No commandment has caused more controversy than this one.
- He teaches us how to live and behave towards everyone.
- He teaches us to love others as ourselves. Others can be those who love us but also include enemies who do not love us, hate us, and even those who harm us. It is the law of loving one's enemies. This is a transcendental law.
Before we can obey this law, we must understand its meaning. Greek has three words for love:
First is Eros, which is a desire, a craving, a physical love between a man and a woman. The nature of Eros is a possessive force, wanting to reach and possess what is lacking.
Second is Philo, which is natural love between relatives.
Third is Agape, which is sacrifice, a love that does not come naturally but through effort, guided by the will. The power of agape does not lie in "possessing", but in "giving". Therefore, this love does not discriminate, does not measure, and does not require conditions. It is charity, it is brotherhood, it is love of giving everything, it is the love of God who "so loved the world that he gave his only Son" for the world.
The second condition: You must be merciful, "as your Father is merciful."
When we talk about mercy, we are reminded of the story of the Good Samaritan. Jesus used this parable as a teaching story. He asked His listeners: "Who showed himself to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" Jesus reversed the question of the scholar of the law. Instead of answering the question "Who was the neighbor?" He asked, "Who showed himself to be a neighbor, showing mercy to the man in distress?" Actually, the question "Who was the neighbor?" is not as important as the question "To whom did I show mercy?"
Knowing how to be merciful to others, especially to one's enemies, does not consist in words, but in deeds, in a truly compassionate heart, and in an attitude of brotherhood towards others, which is the attitude of the highest level of love: Agape love, which is the love that God wants people to attain, in order to be close to God and to be with Him in the Kingdom of Heaven.
The third condition: "Do not judge, so that you will not be judged by God."
Today's Gospel, God teaches people that: Whoever knows how to be merciful with a great Agape love does not know how to judge others, because judging is the work of the devil, and only God has the right to judge.
In the work of the Holy Spirit's sanctification, this third condition is the condition that the Realistic Word of God always reminds those who want to live and practice His words and is the necessary condition for the devil to be defeated:
"God the Father wants that when entering into the work of God the Father, one must recognize one's status as a sinner, having received mercy from God the Father so as not to judge others; remember that only God the Father has the right to judge and that we are nothing, we are just a sinful person so as never to condemn, judge, or scrutinize our brothers and sisters." (The Realistic Word of God 01/24/2023)
- "God the Father wants that when you see a brother or sister of yours or anyone else behaving badly, you must pray to God the Father that you may not judge or think badly of that person, but only be silent, accept the weakness of that brother or sister and pray, asking God the Father to transform, so that that brother or sister can live what God the Father teaches."
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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