PRAYER MOMENT
Monday
16 June 2014
BUT I SAY TO YOU
Pause. Be still
in the presence of God.
Reading: “You
have heard it said: An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you;
offer the wicked no resistance.” (Matthew 5:38-42)
Reflection. We learn
early to revenge. If another kid at school insults us or hits us we strike
back. It’s normal! And we carry more subtle forms of retaliation into adult
life. Revenge – and its more acceptable name ‘self-defence’ is our spontaneous
response to any accusation or slight. Yet when Jesus was accused he astonished
Pilate by remaining silent (Mark 15:5). What we have here is a breakthrough in
human relations which characterises the coming of the reign of God. To be
silent is sometimes the most powerful ‘defence’. It deflates the accuser. And
when Jesus goes further – ‘if he strikes you on the right cheek offer the other
as well’ – he seems to take his message to absurd lengths. Yet there is a
nugget of gold here that could change the world.
Prayer. Lord, teach
us to be patient in the face of hurtful words and actions against us. Let us
not always rush into self-defence. Help us to carry our cross and know its life-giving
power. Amen..
David Harold-Barry SJ
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