Daily Gospel Reflection for February 23, 2014

Today's Gospel: Matthew 5:38-48

Have you noticed that Jesus doesn’t just ask us not retaliate when people sin against but He asks us to offer our vulnerability again as a gift to the very people who hurt us? With all this talk about letting ourselves be slapped again or doing double the work when we’re being taken advantage of, we are tempted to ask why He wants us to be pushovers. It’s like He is asking us to invite the people who hurt us right back into the spaces of trust they occupied before they let us down.

Be perfect, He says. Jesus forgives us over and over again, but when He does, there is not a single bit of condition in His forgiveness. He leaves the door to love wide open. He’s not afraid of being hurt and doesn’t guard his heart against it. Be perfect.

Ponder:

Is there anybody in your life you need to forgive more perfectly?

Pray:

Dear Lord, Help me to forgive perfectly and to love my neighbors without condition.

Copyright 2014 Victoria Garaitonandia Gisondi