Tuesday of the
Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
(II Corinthians 8:1-9; Matthew 5:43-48)
The gifts of the Holy Spirit allow their bearers to see
the world as God sees it. The gift of
piety well exemplifies what this means.
Piety may conjure the image of attending church devotions, but its true
meaning runs much deeper. With piety a person recognizes every human as a child
of God. Doing this it is perfectly aligned
with today’s gospel reading.
Jesus gives his disciples the hefty commandment to love
their enemies. He uses his heavenly
Father as an example. God provides rain
for the wicked farmer as well as for the virtuous one because both are His
children. Likewise, disciples should treat
both the bad and the good as brothers or sisters. The commandment does not require one to
expose herself to danger, but it does demand of her respect and fairness.
When we regard the unlovable as brothers and sisters, we will
go out to greet them. If there has been animosity
between us and them, we will dispose ourselves to forgive them. These actions will bring us satisfaction as
well as the world more peace.
