On this Sunday, the command of the Lord stands clear. He tells us, “Be holy as your heavenly Father is holy (Lev.19:2) and “Be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect” (Mtt.5:48).
What does it mean for us to be holy and perfect?
In the first reading, the content of that injunction to holiness was about avoiding doing evil or harm to one another. We are urged to avoid hatred, harbouring evil in us, and vengeance on one another. The responsorial psalm tells us that the Lord is compassion and love; He forgives us our sins and redeems and heals us. In the second reading, St Paul reminded us that we all belong to Christ and are the temple of the Holy Spirit. In the gospel, Jesus teaches us that by doing good to those who treat us badly, we become perfect in holiness. Instead of planning retaliation against hurts meted out to us, Jesus teaches us to do the opposite instead; to cancel out evil with goodness. Beyond loving our neighbours, He instructs us to love our enemies and pray for our persecutors. By so doing, we cannot bear grudges; rather, we’ll be like God, who treats everyone equally.
However, it is essential to note that one of the most significant challenges in Christ’s teaching is to love those who hate and harm us. The demand to forgive wrongdoers and love our enemies is among the toughest preaching by Jesus because it is not easy. In our nature, we are quick to retaliate, so it takes a lot of discipline of character to live a non-retaliatory life.
Jesus’ message is forgiveness, pardon, generosity, and love, irrespective of whether or not we are loved back. I urge us not to let evil defeat us; instead, to conquer evil with good (Rom.12:21). I pray that we may be able to practice perfect charity and holiness as Jesus taught us.