Tuesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time 2020

Jesus instructs us to love our neighbor AND our enemy in today's Gospel (Mt. 5:43-48). It isn't enough to love our neighbor, though we know that to be the second greatest commandment. Jesus tells us now we are to love our enemy, and pray for those who persecute us. Stop for a moment to think of someone you absolutely hate; someone who, just the mention of their name, sets you off; someone who is humanly impossible for you to love. In this over politicized and hyper sensitive environment we are in, finding someone to hate is not difficult. Now, pray to God for the grace to love that person, because that reliance on God to help you love is really what Jesus is talking about. To be perfect like our heavenly Father is perfect is beyond our own ability. We must turn to God for the grace to do so. With God, all things are possible, even loving our enemies.