First reading 2 Corinthians 5:14-21
From now onwards we do not judge anyone by the standards of the flesh
The love of Christ overwhelms us when we reflect that if one man has died for all, then all men should be dead; and the reason he died for all was so that living men should live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised to life for them.
From now onwards, therefore, we do not judge anyone by the standards of the flesh. Even if we did once know Christ in the flesh, that is not how we know him now. And for anyone who is in Christ, there is a new creation; the old creation has gone, and now the new one is here. It is all God’s work. It was God who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the work of handing on this reconciliation. In other words, God in Christ was reconciling the world to himself, not holding men’s faults against them, and he has entrusted to us the news that they are reconciled. So we are ambassadors for Christ; it is as though God were appealing through us, and the appeal that we make in Christ’s name is: be reconciled to God. For our sake God made the sinless one into sin, so that in him we might become the goodness of God.
Responsorial Psalm 102(103):1-4,9-12
The Lord is compassion and love, slow to anger and rich in mercy.
My soul, give thanks to the Lord
all my being, bless his holy name.
My soul, give thanks to the Lord
and never forget all his blessings.
The Lord is compassion and love, slow to anger and rich in mercy.
It is he who forgives all your guilt,
who heals every one of your ills,
who redeems your life from the grave,
who crowns you with love and compassion.
The Lord is compassion and love, slow to anger and rich in mercy.
His wrath will come to an end;
he will not be angry for ever.
He does not treat us according to our sins
nor repay us according to our faults.
The Lord is compassion and love, slow to anger and rich in mercy.
For as the heavens are high above the earth
so strong is his love for those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west
so far does he remove our sins.
The Lord is compassion and love, slow to anger and rich in mercy.
Gospel Matthew 5:33-37
Do not swear: say ‘Yes’ if you mean Yes, ‘No’ if you mean No
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You have learnt how it was said to our ancestors: You must not break your oath, but must fulfil your oaths to the Lord. But I say this to you: do not swear at all, either by heaven, since that is God’s throne; or by the earth, since that is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, since that is the city of the great king. Do not swear by your own head either, since you cannot turn a single hair white or black. All you need say is “Yes” if you mean yes, “No” if you mean no; anything more than this comes from the evil one.’
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The love of Christ
“The love of Christ overwhelms us when we reflect that if one man has died for all, then all men should be dead, and the reason he died for all was so that living men should live no longer for themselves but for him who died and was raised to life for them” (1st reading). St Paul recognised that the driving force behind his actions and words was the love of Christ. After he encountered Jesus and experienced His merciful love, Paul’s perspective on life was transformed. In response to being loved by Jesus, Paul gave up his self-centred ways to dedicate his life to loving others by becoming the ambassador for Christ’s message of reconciliation and working toward peace. Today, Jesus invites us to let His love inspire us to become less focussed on ourselves and to join Him in His mission of peace. As His disciples, we are meant to be ambassadors of reconciliation, bringing people back to God and back to one another, and thus, living together in truth and love.
In the Gospel, Jesus shows us that honesty is the way to build peace in the midst of conflicts and disagreements. Today, let every word that comes out of our mouths be trustworthy, and let every action we take be motivated by love.
Reflective question:
How can I become Christ’s ambassador of reconciliation?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year C” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD.
