First reading Deuteronomy 26:16-19
You will be a people consecrated to the Lord
Moses said to the people: ‘The Lord your God today commands you to observe these laws and customs; you must keep and observe them with all your heart and with all your soul.
‘You have today made this declaration about the Lord: that he will be your God, but only if you follow his ways, keep his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and listen to his voice. And the Lord has today made this declaration about you: that you will be his very own people as he promised you, but only if you keep all his commandments; then for praise and renown and honour he will set you high above all the nations he has made, and you will be a people consecrated to the Lord, as he promised.’
Responsorial Psalm 118(119):1-2,4-5,7-8
They are happy who follow God’s law!
They are happy whose life is blameless,
who follow God’s law!
They are happy who do his will,
seeking him with all their hearts.
You have laid down your precepts
to be obeyed with care.
May my footsteps be firm
to obey your statutes.
I will thank you with an upright heart
as I learn your decrees.
I will obey your statutes;
do not forsake me.
Gospel Matthew 5:43-48
Pray for those who persecute you
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You have learnt how it was said: You must love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I say this to you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you; in this way you will be sons of your Father in heaven, for he causes his sun to rise on bad men as well as good, and his rain to fall on honest and dishonest men alike. For if you love those who love you, what right have you to claim any credit? Even the tax collectors do as much, do they not? And if you save your greetings for your brothers, are you doing anything exceptional? Even the pagans do as much, do they not? You must therefore be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect.’
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Call to love
In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks words that challenge both His disciples and us: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” This call stretches our understanding of love and invites us to go beyond what feels safe or familiar. It asks us to step outside our comfort zones and into difficult spaces, where those we perceive as enemies may respond with resistance, hostility, or misunderstanding. Yet Jesus calls us not to reflect negativity, but to become instruments of peace, extending friendship where it seems least deserved.
With God our Father beside us, we are never asked to love on our own strength. He is the source of all love, continually offering us the grace and compassion we need to love again and to love more deeply. When peace is absent from our hearts, it may be because we have forgotten how to recognise God in one another. Today, let us ask our loving Father to purify our hearts of whatever prevents us from loving freely. With hearts renewed by prayer, we can learn to see others not as enemies, but as brothers and sisters, beloved children of the same Father.
Reflective question:
As a child of God, how am I called to love those around me, particularly those with whom I struggle to love today?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year A” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD
