Do You See Jesus in the Face of Others?

Unless we believe & see Jesus in the appearance of bread on the altar, we will not be able to see him in the distressing disguise of the poor. --Mother Teresa

(Gospel Text: Mt 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 only,

what is unusual about that?

Do not the pagans do the same?

So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect."

“. . . love your enemies . . .”. 



Almost everyone is familiar with that command. And almost everybody thinks that, while perhaps an ideal, it is hopelessly unrealistic. But maybe some context might help us understand how central this really is to being Christian.



What, after all, does it mean to be Christian? Not to save ourselves, as perhaps we once thought. God has done that for us. No, our job is to continue the work of Jesus – the Jesus who called people to change their priorities and submit to God’s gentle reign. Christians are a community of disciples, having disciple roles, and doing disciple work.



We need to ask ourselves: If someone is mean and hateful and spiteful, self-centered and angry – in short, our enemy – do we want that person to go into eternal damnation? We can’t want that. Jesus gives Himself for that person, just as much as He does for me. Jesus counts on us to help that person accept the love God offers. How can that person know of God’s forgiveness if he doesn’t experience it in me?



But love our enemies? Once again, we bump up against the inadequacies of translations. “Love” here is not a matter of warm fuzzy feelings or the affection of friendship. The verb used by Matthew might be better translated as “to care about”, or “to be concerned about”, “to care enough to want to help”. It’s with that kind of care and concern that Jesus and Stephen prayed for those who were killing them. Saving such individuals is precisely why Jesus came and why we’re Christians.



From my vantage point, there is a big difference between me and my persecutor, between me and the terrorist bomber, between me and the child rapist. But the simple fact is that both of us are equally in need of God’s saving love, which God freely gives, as this passage from Matthew clearly attests. Our heavenly Father causes His sun and rain to fall upon the good and the bad, the just and the unjust.



Love our enemies? Unrealistic? It can’t be – must not be! As St. Paul says “. . . test the genuineness of your love by your concern for others.” (2 Cor 8:8)   All others. Even enemies.

We must not only speak about forgiveness and reconciliation – we must act on these principles.

"Heroes are not giant statues framed against a red sky.   They are people who say:   This is my community, and it is my responsibility to make it better.   Interweave all these communities and you really have an America that is back on its feet again.   I really think we are gonna have to reassess what constitutes a 'hero'.” -- Studs Terkel

Gospel Text (Mt 5,38-42):

Jesus said to his disciples:

"You have heard that it was said,

An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.

But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.

When someone strikes you on your right cheek,

turn the other one to him as well.

If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic,

hand him your cloak as well.

Should anyone press you into service for one mile,

go with him for two miles.

Give to the one who asks of you,

and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow."

Turning the other check is not just a call to passive submission to injustices.  Jesus was never passive when it came to evil.  There was nothing cowardly about the way he engaged with opposition.  What Jesus does provide, however, is another way to resist evil that is not violent.   We are to refuse to oppose evil on its own terms by defying it, not submitting to it.  The challenge to us to stand up for ourselves and what is right without using violence is difficult for us because we are called to unmask the behaviors of those who wrong us as unjust.  Jesus tells us how to take on not just individual evil doers but entire systems of cruelty and injustice.  That is huge!  But we are to maintain our human dignity and humanity by responding to oppression from the rules of God, not the rules of the oppressors, over which they hold all the power.



The most important message here is that Jesus does not provide for us a way to “win” a conflict with an enemy, but rather a way to transform the enemy.  We must not let evil even define our hearts, but rather act out of love. 

Now for the million dollar question, “How do we do this?”

First we need to be a constant defender of truth and human dignity.  Secondly we need to learn not to worry and to trust that we are in God’s care.  Third, we need to accept our weaknesses and rest on God’s power.  Fourth, we need to live in joy and gladness because we have a clear vision of God’s victory.  Fifth, we need to act boldly and with courage.  Sixth, we need to love our enemies.  Seventh, we need to become more creative and clever in our resistance.  And finally, we need to be in solidarity with others who suffer by participating in the Eucharist. 

St. Basil sums this idea up very well: «Believe me and you will forget the offences and insults you get from your fellow man. You will see how differently you will be named; he will be called angry and violent while you will be cited as meek and peaceful. One day, he will repent of his violence, but you will never regret your meekness».

My father didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it

Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies. – Mother Teresa

(Gospel Text: Mk 4:26-34)

Jesus said to the crowds:

"This is how it is with the kingdom of God;

it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land

and would sleep and rise night and day

and through it all the seed would sprout and grow,

he knows not how.

Of its own accord the land yields fruit,

first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.

And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once,

for the harvest has come."

He said,

"To what shall we compare the kingdom of God,

or what parable can we use for it?

It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground,

is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.

But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants

and puts forth large branches,

so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade."

With many such parables

he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it.

Without parables he did not speak to them,

but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus uses parables of the growth of a seed to describe the Kingdom of God. In both parables, seeds, once scattered and sown, grow on their own accord. In the first parable, the scattered seeds yield fruit, and Jesus proclaims that the harvest has come. In the second, Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to the smallest of seeds: the mustard seed. When this seed is sown, it grows to be one of the largest plants, a plant which provides shade for the birds of the sky. Jesus seems to imply that like a mustard seed, the Kingdom of God has humble beginnings on Earth, but will soon grow to be larger than all else. We cannot control the growth of a seed; likewise, we cannot control the growth of the Kingdom of God – it is natural!

The birth of Jesus in Bethlehem began this faith that we call Christianity, and it continues to grow today, providing shade for many.
Today’s reading challenges us to find the potential and the beauty in the little things. Just as a mustard seed grows into a large, beautiful plant, the smallest of actions and occurrences may be the beginnings of something much bigger. The Kingdom of God exists in the smallest of seeds: a child’s laugh, a “hello” to a stranger, a sharing of one’s faith story, a sharing of a meal, an acknowledgement of someone’s humanity.

On this weekend when we all stop the frenetic pace of life to honor and remember fathers, we have an opportunity to reflect on what really matters most in our lives. The ones who have "named" us, our fathers, have helped to give us our identity. They are a gift to be received from the very hand of God the Father. We should thank them if they are still with us, and shower them with affection. If not, we should still thank them, honor them, remember them - and continue to learn all we can from the example of their lives as we seek to live our own in love. 

“Immaculate Heart of Mary, cause of our joy, pray for us.”

"Although the heart of Jesus is distinct from that of Mary, and infinitely surpasses it in excellence and holiness, nevertheless, God has so closely united these two hearts, that we may say with truth, that they are but one heart." – St Francis of Assisi

(Gospel Text: Lk 2:41-51)

Each year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover,

and when he was twelve years old,

they went up according to festival custom.

After they had completed its days, as they were returning,

the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem,

but his parents did not know it.

Thinking that he was in the caravan,

they journeyed for a day

and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances,

but not finding him,

they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.

After three days they found him in the temple,

sitting in the midst of the teachers,

listening to them and asking them questions,

and all who heard him were astounded

at his understanding and his answers.

When his parents saw him,

they were astonished,

and his mother said to him,

"Son, why have you done this to us?

Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety."

And he said to them,

"Why were you looking for me?

Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?"

But they did not understand what he said to them.

He went down with them and came to Nazareth,

and was obedient to them;

and his mother kept all these things in her heart.

Today, we celebrate the memory of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. A spotless Heart, full of God, totally willing to listen to him and obey him.

Why? We find the answer in Jesus' words: «For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also» (Mt 6:21). Mary's treasure is her Son, and in him she has set her heart; Mary's thoughts, words and deeds have their beginning and their end in the contemplation and satisfaction of the Lord.

Today's Gospel offers us a good sample. After narrating the scene of Jesus lost and found in the temple, it tells us: «As for his mother, she kept all these things in her heart» (Lk 2:51). St. Gregory of Nyssa comments: «God allows to be seen by those who have a pure heart». What does Mary keep in her heart? From the Incarnation to Jesus' Ascension to Heaven, through the bitter hours of the Calvary, there are so very many meditated and profound remembrances: the joy of Angel Gabriel's visit announcing to Mary God's designs for her, the first kiss and the first embrace with the newly born child, the first steps of her Son on earth, contemplating him growing in wisdom and grace, her “involvement” in the wedding of Cana, Jesus' teachings during his preaching, the savior’s pains of the Cross, her hopes in the triumph of Resurrection...

In the Bible's language, the heart refers to a person's deepest essence, where all thoughts, words and deeds emanate from. What does emanate from the Virgin Mary's heart? Faith, obedience, tenderness, availability, spirit of service, fortitude, humility, simplicity, gratitude, and a countless rosary of virtues.

 “Mary my Mother, give me your heart so beautiful, so pure, so Immaculate, so full of love and humility, that I may be able to receive Jesus.”

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; What is essential is invisible to the eye.

“Purity of heart is what enables us to see.” ― Pope Benedict XVI

(Gospel Text: Jn 19:31-37)

Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

Since it was preparation day,

in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the Sabbath,

for the Sabbath day of that week was a solemn one,

the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken

and they be taken down.

So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first

and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.

But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead,

they did not break his legs,

but one soldier thrust his lance into his side,

and immediately blood and water flowed out.

An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true;

he knows that he is speaking the truth,

so that you also may come to believe.

For this happened so that the Scripture passage might be fulfilled:

Not a bone of it will be broken.

And again another passage says:

They will look upon him whom they have pierced.

"God is Love" (1 Jn 4:16). This is the most fundamental revelation from God. "We, for our part, love because He first loved us" (1 Jn 4:19). First of all, we must know that God loves us. However, we have great difficulty believing in God's love for us. Although He draws us "with human cords, with bands of love," and although He stoops to feed and heal us (see Hos 11:4), we may not believe He loves us. Even when God became a human being and proved His love by dying on the cross for us (Rm 5:8), we denied, ignored, and questioned His love. The Lord has sent apostles, prophets, preachers, and teachers to proclaim His love (see Eph 4:11). These proclamations have been like a two-edged sword, which penetrated, divided, and judged the thoughts and reflections of our hearts (Heb 4:12). In this way, many people have come to believe in God's love for them and begin to live a new life of love. Probably the most effective proclamation of God's love for each of us is the prophetic vision of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Look at a picture of the Sacred Heart. "Thus you will be able to grasp fully, with all the holy ones, the breadth and length and height and depth of Christ's love, and experience this love which surpasses all knowledge, so that you may attain to the fullness of God Himself" (Eph 3:18-19). Look daily at a picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus if you can. Believe that He loves you.

Forgiveness is the key to action and freedom

Let no one mourn that he has fallen again and again;  for forgiveness has risen from the grave.--St. John Chrysostom - Easter sermon

Gospel Text: Mt 5:20-26

Jesus said to his disciples:

"I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that

of the scribes and Pharisees,

you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.

"You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,

You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.

But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother

will be liable to judgment,

and whoever says to his brother,

'Raqa,' will be answerable to the Sanhedrin,

and whoever says, "You fool," will be liable to fiery Gehenna.

Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar,

and there recall that your brother

has anything against you,

leave your gift there at the altar,

go first and be reconciled with your brother,

and then come and offer your gift.

Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him.

Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge,

and the judge will hand you over to the guard,

and you will be thrown into prison.

Amen, I say to you,

you will not be released until you have paid the last penny."

Does anyone in the world have anything against you? Do you have anything against them? If you haven't recently tried to reconcile with these people, stop reading this now and go do it...

With truth and faith in God’s plan, it becomes easier to love and forgive.  Relationships can sometimes be a struggle, and it is easy to get angry and say or think hurtful things.  But in Matthew’s Gospel, he says you will not be free until you have reconciled with your brother.  If we place our full trust in God, knowing that he has a plan for us and that his love is true, this is the first step towards forgiving our brother.  Without truly loving God, we can’t truly love a person for everything that they are—good and bad.  But it is necessary to love people that way—a truly agapic, self-giving love.  A friend once told me that even if I don’t love people’s actions at all times, I still need to love them because they are children of God.  This friend was a voice of truth in my life, reminding me of who I want to be and what it really means to love.

By grace, do the impossible. Be a Christian.