Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 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 and sisters only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Your neighbor. Those closest to you can trigger many different feelings, from affection to resentment. However, personal growth is not determined by the emotions they spark in you, but by how you choose to respond. Life is shaped by these connections. If someone has caused you pain, has injured you, spoken ill of you, or treated you unfairly, these experiences become woven into your life story as well.
The just. In life, you’ll encounter both fair and unfair people. Through these interactions, you learn whom to trust and whom to keep at a distance. Life consists of various phases and a range of people with different personalities. The important thing is to learn from every experience and to realize that your story is formed by what you’ve been through. The way you view the world now comes directly from your past experiences.
The Father. The “perfection” God calls us to isn’t about never making mistakes. Rather, it’s about approaching your life as a learner and embracing the circumstance yur face. There’s often a difference between what’s “ideal” and what’s “real”—the invitation is to accept where you are now so you can strive toward your ideal, which means discovering genuine happiness, fulfillment, and becoming the best version of yourself.
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.
Father Luis, as we affectionately know him, is a Catholic Diocesan Priest, from Tucuman, Argentina. He was ordained Priest at the Cathedral of Tucuman on March 23, 2012. Father Luis graduated in Theology from the Catholic University of Argentina, Magister in Liturgy of the Argentine Society of Liturgy and is currently undergraduate in family guidance at the Austral University. Father Luis is Co-Founder and Director of Catholic Digital Missioners.
