“Hate the sin, but love the sinner.”

As you forgive us in every sin that we have committed, we pray that we will still learn to forgive those who sinned against us.

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊ 

１kings 21:17-29

 Then Yahweh spoke to Elijah of Tishbe,

  “Go down to meet Ahab, king of Israel, in Samaria. He is taking possession of the vineyard of Naboth.  Say to him: ‘Have you killed and have taken possession at the same time?’ Then give him this word of mine: ‘Dogs shall lick your blood in the very place where the dogs licked the blood of Naboth.’”

Ahab then said to Elijah, “Who, better than my enemy, could find me here and now!” Elijah answered, “I have come to you because you have done what Yahweh abhors.  This is Yah­weh’s word: I will bring disgrace on you. I will sweep you away and cut off every male of your family, from the lowliest to the greatest.

 

  Your family will disappear like the families of Jeroboam and Baasa, because you have offended me and have dragged Israel into sin.   There is ano­ther word of Yahweh to Jezebel: ‘The dogs shall devour Jezebel within the territory of Jezreel.’   If anyone of Ahab’s line dies in the city, he shall be devoured by dogs; if in the green country, the birds of the air shall feed on him.”

 There was no one like Ahab, urged by his wife Jezebel, in doing what Yahweh abhorred.  He did horrible things and ran after unclean idols just as the Amorites had done, from whom Yahweh had taken the land to give it to Israel.

 On hearing these words, Ahab tore his clothes and put on sackcloth. He fasted as he lay in sackcloth and moved around despondent­ly.  Then Yahweh said to Elijah the Tish­bite, “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself?  Because of this I will not bring about the disaster during his reign; during his son’s reign disgrace will fall on his family.”

 

Ps 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 11 & 16

Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊  

Matthew 5:43-48

You have heard that it was said: Love your neighbor and do not do good to your enemy. But this I tell you: Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you,   so that you may be children of your Father in Heaven. For he makes his sun rise on both the wick­ed and the good, and he gives rain to both the just and the unjust.

 If you love those who love you, what is special about that? Do not even tax collectors do as much?  And if you are friendly only to your friends, what is so exceptional about that? Do not even the pagans do as much?   For your part you shall be righteous and perfect in the way your heavenly Father is righteous and perfect.

 

Gospel Reflection：

Mirroring the Father

An eye for an eye and caring for only one’s own people were accepted principles in the then Near Eastern jurisprudence. But, this is a justice that does not heal; it only multiplies the injury and alienates the other. As Mahatma Gandhi observed (as attributed to him), “an eye for an eye makes the world go blind.”

 

It does not redeem: it does not enhance. It only makes us reactive, lowering us to the level of the offender, making us mirror images of each other. As Anthony Storr has noted, nothing resembles an angry cat or a human being so much as another angry cat for human being!

 

What Jesus offers us is a way out of this cycle of violence: transcend the levels of the offender, widen the circle of inclusion, raising ourselves unto the image of the Father who sends light and rain to the good and the bad without discrimination. And, in our mirroring the Father, we may invite the offender to imitate us as well.