Feb 15, 2025 Written by 

Love, not judge, and how to measure. 

In today's Gospel, Jesus calls those who listen to love those who behave as enemies.

«Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you» (Lk 6:27).

Francis loved those who mocked and judged him - and invited his brothers to do likewise.

In the Sources:

"Deeply humble and mature in charity, each nurtured for his brother the sentiments one has towards a father and lord [...] They were careful not to fall victim to unbridled desires. They were implacable judges of themselves, concerned not to harm one another in any way" (FF 1448).

"If it sometimes happened that a brother missed a word that could hurt, the remorse of conscience would not let him rest until he confessed his mistake, humbly throwing himself to the ground and begging the offended person to put his foot over his mouth.

And in the Letter to the Faithful, Francis, speaking of enemies, expresses himself thus:

"We must love our enemies and do good to those who hate us. We must also deny ourselves and place our bodies under the yoke of service and holy obedience, as each one has promised to the Lord" (FF196).

The holy father, if he was misjudged by men or his brothers were singled out, reminded himself and them that therein lies the perfect joy of one who is poor in heart.

The Sources illustrate:

"There were therefore conflicting opinions about these evangelical men. Some regarded them as madmen and fixated; others maintained that their talk came from anything but dementia.

One of the hearers remarked: 'These here are either united to God in an extraordinarily perfect way, or they are true fools, for they lead a desperate life: they eat almost nothing, they walk barefoot, they have miserable clothes'" (FF 1437).

Furthermore, Francis abhorred detraction like a plague.

In fact we read:

"The vice of detraction, the radical enemy of piety and Grace, he abhorred it as the bite of the serpent and as the most harmful pestilence.

He affirmed that the most pitiful God has it in abomination, because the detractor feeds on the blood of souls, after having killed them with the sword of the tongue [...].

Sometimes he judged that one who had stripped his brother of his good name should be stripped of his habit, and he did not want him to raise his eyes to God, if he had not first procured by all means to return what he had taken.

"The wickedness of detractors," he said, "is all the greater than that of thieves, the greater the force with which the law of Christ, which finds its fulfilment in love, compels us to desire the salvation of souls more than that of bodies.

«...for with the measure with which you measure, it will be measured back to you» (Lk 6:38).

 

 

7th Sunday in O.T. (C)  (Lk 6,27-38)

132 Last modified on Saturday, 15 February 2025 05:50
Teresa Girolami

Teresa Girolami è laureata in Materie letterarie e Teologia. Ha pubblicato vari testi, fra cui: "Pellegrinaggio del cuore" (Ed. Piemme); "I Fiammiferi di Maria - La Madre di Dio in prosa e poesia"; "Tenerezza Scalza - Natura di donna"; co-autrice di "Dialogo e Solstizio".

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Knowing God, knowing Christ, always means loving him, becoming, in a sense, one with him by virtue of that knowledge and love. Our life becomes authentic and true life, and thus eternal life, when we know the One who is the source of all being and all life (Pope Benedict)
Conoscere Dio, conoscere Cristo significa sempre anche amarLo, diventare in qualche modo una cosa sola con Lui in virtù del conoscere e dell’amare. La nostra vita diventa quindi una vita autentica, vera e così anche eterna, se conosciamo Colui che è la fonte di ogni essere e di ogni vita (Papa Benedetto)
Christians are a priestly people for the world. Christians should make the living God visible to the world, they should bear witness to him and lead people towards him. When we speak of this task in which we share by virtue of our baptism, it is no reason to boast (Pope Benedict)
I cristiani sono popolo sacerdotale per il mondo. I cristiani dovrebbero rendere visibile al mondo il Dio vivente, testimoniarLo e condurre a Lui. Quando parliamo di questo nostro comune incarico, in quanto siamo battezzati, ciò non è una ragione per farne un vanto (Papa Benedetto)
Because of this unique understanding, Jesus can present himself as the One who reveals the Father with a knowledge that is the fruit of an intimate and mysterious reciprocity (John Paul II)
In forza di questa singolare intesa, Gesù può presentarsi come il rivelatore del Padre, con una conoscenza che è frutto di un'intima e misteriosa reciprocità (Giovanni Paolo II)
Yes, all the "miracles, wonders and signs" of Christ are in function of the revelation of him as Messiah, of him as the Son of God: of him who alone has the power to free man from sin and death. Of him who is truly the Savior of the world (John Paul II)
Sì, tutti i “miracoli, prodigi e segni” di Cristo sono in funzione della rivelazione di lui come Messia, di lui come Figlio di Dio: di lui che, solo, ha il potere di liberare l’uomo dal peccato e dalla morte. Di lui che veramente è il Salvatore del mondo (Giovanni Paolo II)
It is known that faith is man's response to the word of divine revelation. The miracle takes place in organic connection with this revealing word of God. It is a "sign" of his presence and of his work, a particularly intense sign (John Paul II)
È noto che la fede è una risposta dell’uomo alla parola della rivelazione divina. Il miracolo avviene in legame organico con questa parola di Dio rivelante. È un “segno” della sua presenza e del suo operare, un segno, si può dire, particolarmente intenso (Giovanni Paolo II)
That was not the only time the father ran. His joy would not be complete without the presence of his other son. He then sets out to find him and invites him to join in the festivities (cf. v. 28). But the older son appeared upset by the homecoming celebration. He found his father’s joy hard to take; he did not acknowledge the return of his brother: “that son of yours”, he calls him (v. 30). For him, his brother was still lost, because he had already lost him in his heart (Pope Francis)
Ma quello non è stato l’unico momento in cui il Padre si è messo a correre. La sua gioia sarebbe incompleta senza la presenza dell’altro figlio. Per questo esce anche incontro a lui per invitarlo a partecipare alla festa (cfr v. 28). Però, sembra proprio che al figlio maggiore non piacessero le feste di benvenuto; non riesce a sopportare la gioia del padre e non riconosce il ritorno di suo fratello: «quel tuo figlio», dice (v. 30). Per lui suo fratello continua ad essere perduto, perché lo aveva ormai perduto nel suo cuore (Papa Francesco)

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