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Master·evangeli.net

Today's Gospel + short theological explanation

Monday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
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Gospel text (Mt 5:38-42): Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil... Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.”

The forgiveness

Fr. Antoni CAROL i Hostench (Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain)

Today, Jesus Christ’s homily "breaks the mould". Because of the tone He employs: He speaks with moral authority only available to God. And because of the doctrine He teaches: Jesus instructs His followers to humanize the social coexistence —at times, ignorant and individualist— with forgiveness and generosity.

Only God has the right to command and teach us the exigencies of love. Forgiveness is one of the finest qualities of love. Jesus gave us a wonderful example when, in His Passion, demands the Father to forgive us. When we fail to forgive someone, we are just keeping him indebted to us (we are "enslaving him"); whereas, on the other hand, if we forgive him we liberate him.

—O Lord God, I wish that your paths to peace and fraternity may spread all over the world. I ask You to instill in all men the spirit of forgiveness and generosity. My Savior, help me so I will always know how to forgive, because in the eternal Heaven I could not be happy by keeping debts and debtors.