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 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.”
Bless, do not curse
1. Do to others. Don’t tie yourself to people who hurt you. Instead, learn to let go. Jesus offers a way to do this. Letting go means not holding onto resentment. It means knowing how to say, “Your behavior stops here with me.” It means saying, “I won’t let this affect me anymore.” So, don’t keep dwelling on the hurt you’ve experienced, because a hurt person will always lash out at others.
2. The other cheek. We sometimes misunderstand this idea. We think it means we should just stand still and let people hit us. The key here is not to stand still. We must understand that blows are a natural part of the path of life for anyone who has a will to live. Don’t stop taking risks and fighting. Fight for yourself but remember that experience teaches and helps. Just because you’ve received a blow once doesn’t mean you won’t receive another one. It might happen, but your experience will help make sure you don’t get hit on the same cheek again. Presenting the other cheek means knowing that experience marks us, but it also means we must never stop working and taking chances for what we love and what makes us happy.
3. Do good. Doing good is our main task. Doing good means some people will get upset, and others—and there will always be some—will make life difficult for you. Don’t stop fighting to do what’s right, even if people attack you and try to destroy you. I dare say that you’ll do a lot of good, and you won’t be thanked for it. Remember that we do things for God. If you expect others to thank you, you’ll be hurt and disappointed. Be brave and keep doing good without worrying about who you’re doing it for here on earth.
Remember that something good is on the way!
God bless you and protect you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
