Here and Now with Francis 6/15/16 (Christ, forgiveness, enemy, love)


From the homily
Jesus repeats the most important commandment of the Old Testament: Love your God with all your heart, and with all your strength, and with all your soul, and your neighbour as yourself. This was not at the heart of what the Doctors of the Law were teaching, he said. They were only worried about details and individual cases, but Jesus shows the true sense of the Law which he came to fulfill. The Pope noted how Jesus offers many examples to show the commandments in a new light and to prove that love is more generous than the letter of the Law. From ‘Do not kill’ meaning don’t insult or be angry with your brother, to the instructions to give your coat to the person who demands your shirt, or go the extra mile with the person who wants to be accompanied for one mile. This is not just for the fulfillment of the Law, the Pope said, but it also helps to heal our hearts. In Jesus’ explanations of the commandments, especially in St Matthew’s Gospel, he said, there is a journey of healing. Every heart wounded by sin – as each one of us has – must undertake this journey of healing in order to be more like our “heavenly Father (who) is perfect”. [link]

Popular posts from this blog

Front Matter (Preface) The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Library Booklist (H:cSt)

Library Booklist (H:cStb2)