Daily Gospel Reflection
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June 15, 2021
Jesus said to his disciples:
“You have heard that it was said,
You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
But I say to you, love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your heavenly Father,
for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,
and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?
Do not the tax collectors do the same?
And if you greet your brothers only,
what is unusual about that?
Do not the pagans do the same?
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
The paradoxes of our faith capture its beauty and mystery. As Christians we die in order to live, we find joy in suffering, and we are strongest when we are weak. These seemingly impossible calls—to die, to suffer, and to be weak—are tied to the calls in this Gospel.
What Jesus tells us here is completely opposite from what the world tells us. In this materialist, violent, and self-absorbed culture, how can we survive by following Jesus’ commands?
The paradox is that these commands actually lighten our load. Hating, retaliating, cursing, holding grudges—all these ultimately pull us from God. So when Christ calls us to love our enemies, he is not telling us to let people off easy. Rather, he calls us to actions and attitudes that will make us more holy, as God is holy. Jesus invites us into a life of freedom from our distorted world, where being hated does not lead to hate, where abuse is not perpetuated, and where forgiveness is freely given. Simply put: we are called to embody God’s self-emptying, radical love for others.
Let us lighten our load today by praying for those who hurt us, giving with no expectation of receiving, and asking God for the courage and humility to strive to fulfill Christ’s call in this Gospel. For when we do this, when we see others the way God sees them and treat them the way God treats all people, we are able to be more fully ourselves—the holy people God created us to be.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, your Word is active and alive, effective and enlivening. It achieves the end for which you send it. Transformed by your Word and filled with your Spirit, may our words not be empty, but may we imitate you by speaking true words of forgiveness from the heart to those who sin against us. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Edburga was the daughter of Saxon king, Edward the Elder of England, and was born in the early tenth century, around 920 AD, before the Norman Conquest of England. In the twelfth century, a legend of her life was written down by Osbert de Clare.
According to this legend, when Edburga was only three years old, her father was trying to decide whether she would be called to live in the world or as a religious sister. On one side of the table, he placed rings and bracelets, and on the other, a chalice and a book of the Gospels. When Edburga was brought in to the room, she reached for the chalice and the book.
Edburga was given over to the monastery that her mother sponsored, St. Mary's Abbey in Winchester. Edburga received her education there and stayed to profess vows.
In the monastery, Edburga did not seek special treatment on account of her noble lineage, although that was common practice at the time. Instead, she delighted in cleaning the shoes of the other wealthy nuns. Some tales say she washed their stockings for them while everyone else slept. Her humility led her to occasionally receive unjust punishments, but she accepted them gladly.
St. Edburga died on June 15, between the years 950 and 960. Veneration of this good and holy prioress began almost instantly after her death, and she was canonized in 972.
St. Edburga of Winchester, who chose religious life over the royal court—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Edburga of Winchester is available for use under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license. Last accessed March 18, 2025 on British Royal Family Wiki.