Today we celebrate the feast of St.Anthony of Padua. Today's reading from the Gospel is LK.6:27-42. It is one of the most beautiful passages in the Gospel. Often we ask ourselves what should be the life of a disciple of Christ. In a few simple words Jesus tells us what He expects of us: to love our enemies, to be compassionate and merciful and not to judge. Very forcefully, Jesus urges to do good and to be helpful whether people love us or hate us. The secular spirit of the world would urge us to retaliate when we are attacked and to give tit for tat. But Jesus wants us to go in the opposite direction. Conquer evil with good.
G.K.Chesterton in his book on St.Francis says that he once asked his disciple Bro.Juniper who pursued the robber who stole his hood to give back to the robber his gown too. Chesterton describes such an attitude by saying that it is disarming the enemy by generosity.He adds further that only in the Catholic church which is firmly established on the words of Jesus such acts of generosity will survive. Ubi Petrus ,ibi Franciscus.
Today we shall ask the Lord to give us the spirit of disarming the enemy by our generosity and pray for all those who have hurt us by words and actions and ask the Lord to bless them.We shall remove from our hearts all feelings of bitterness.
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