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Lenten Weekday
Deuteronomy 26:16-19
Psalm 119:1-2, 4-5, 7-8
Matthew 5:43-48
Summary
Moses directed the people to observe God's commandments and listen to His
voice, and if they did, they would be raised high above all nations and sacred to
God. This message is similarly echoed in today's responsorial psalm, ˄Blessed
are they who follow the law of the Lord.˅ In Matthew's gospel reading, Jesus
speaks to the disciples but could just as easily be speaking to each of us in di-
recting them to not love only their neighbors and hate their enemies, but rather to
love their enemies as well and to pray for those who persecute them.
Reflection
It's much easier in our daily lives to just listen to our own commandments rather
than the Lord's, and to love only 'our neighbors' and not 'our enemies', and to
think ill of those who persecute or slight us in whatever manner. That's why it is
important to have readings like today's, so we can be more cognizant of God's
commandments and His voice on a daily basis, reminding us as Moses did that
this is how we should be trying to lead our lives each day. We should be paying
more attention to doing things in our daily lives, and in the way we behave to-
wards others (family members, people at the store or on the road, clients or
business relationships, fel-
low parents) in ways that will
be pleasing to God, not
necessarily gratifying our-
selves. Easier said than
done, that's for sure, at least
for me. Deep down we are
all 'good people', or so we
convince ourselves of that,
but are we living our lives by
God's commandments and
giving a little more 'love' and