Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 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 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.”
Life is like a piano keyboard
1. The piano keyboard. I once read something that has stayed with me ever since: the saying that life is like a piano keyboard, with both white and black keys. The white keys represent the beautiful moments in life and on a piano keyboard they are plentiful and large. The black keys, which are fewer and smaller, represent the hard moments in life. If you only play the white keys, it will sound good, but it will have no depth. On the other hand, if you play both the white and black keys together, you will be able to play a harmonious and powerful melody.
2. Life. There is always good and bad in life. Make a beautiful melody in your life with God in it. Accept the beautiful and the difficult as well. The tough aspects allow you to value and discover what’s important in life and what requires your full attention. To have a full life, you must live through ‘white key’ moments and ‘black key’ moments. Let God work within you.
3. God is a great teacher. If you let yourself be touched by God who’s the great teacher, He can make of you a gorgeous work of art that will lead others to be interested in the beautiful concert of life and enjoy it. He can lead you to create a wonderful life in which He plays a harmonious piece of music with your good and bad moments. Which are the white keys in your life, and which are the black keys? Reflect on that. Now, let God play a part in the music so we can enjoy the great concert of your life.
Always remember that something good is on the way!
God bless you and be with you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
