Daily Gospel Reflection
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June 16, 2025
Jesus said to his disciples:
“You have heard that it was said,
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.
When someone strikes you on your right cheek,
turn the other one to him as well.
If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic,
hand him your cloak as well.
Should anyone press you into service for one mile,
go with him for two miles.
Give to the one who asks of you,
and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.”
I am the eldest in my family and a lawyer, so I don’t shy away from a fight. As a child, when my sister or brother would hit me, I would hit back. But I also crave resolution to all conflict, as I think most of us do. Don’t we all love to be told “I’m sorry” or “You were right?” And don’t those works make it easier for us to then admit our own fault?
However, as I have grown, I have come to realize that sometimes there is no resolution or apology forthcoming. And that is true whether your position is right or wrong, and no matter how much you desire reconciliation.
In this gospel, Jesus reminds us that everything is a gift—even a strike on our cheek from one who is evil! And that is because even what seems to us in the moment to be an injustice is, in fact, a call from God to love one another more deeply. When we are wronged (or think we have been wronged), we can see those feelings as little promptings from God to give more of ourselves than we think we can, and in doing so, become more like Christ.
Living a life of no resistance to all grievances, big and small, is a truly radical path. Especially for someone with my disposition. But if we can humbly accept that all is a gift from the Lord, we will be ready to give generously to anyone who asks of us. And we can start to grasp the truth about God in his providence that J.R.R. Tolkien beautifully captures in his short story, “Leaf by Niggle”: “Things might have been different, but they could not have been better.”
Prayer
Lord, please grant us the desire to want to learn how to forgive as you do. When we beg for forgiveness, you readily grant it. All is wiped clean, all is forgotten. We put our trust in your generosity. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Lutgard is held as one of the greatest female mystics of her age; an encounter with the Lord in a vision changed her life.
She was born in 1182 in the Netherlands. Her father had saved money for her marriage dowry, but lost it in a bad business deal. Fearing that she would never be married, her parents sent her to live in a Benedictine convent.
She was an average girl for her time—she was attractive, liked to dress well, and amused herself with simple things. She did not appear to have a vocation to become a nun, and was allowed to live at the convent like a boarder—she could come and go and receive visitors as she liked.
One day, as she was visiting with a friend, Jesus appeared to her. He showed her his wounds, and asked her to love him alone. She accepted instantly, and changed her life—she turned away from worldly concerns and began to dedicate her energy to prayer and conversion in order to respond to this graced encounter.
The older nuns in the convent saw her fervor and said that it would not last but it only increased. She frequently saw the Lord when she was in prayer, and had a familiarity with him. If she was called away during her prayer, she would simply say, “Wait here, Lord Jesus, and I will come back as soon as I have finished this task.” She also saw Mary and several other saints. Sometimes strange signs accompanied her prayer—she would rise from the ground, or people would notice a strange light above her head.
She often felt like she was poorly responding to the opportunity she had been given to grow in holiness. After 12 years, Lutgard decided to increase her practice of the faith by moving to a convent with a stricter way of life.
Eleven years before she died, she lost her sight. She saw this loss as a gift—as a way to further detach herself from the things of this world. During one appearance, Jesus warned her of her impending death, and instructed her to prepare for it with three practices: to praise God for all she had received; to pray for the conversion of sinners; and to rely on God alone. She did these things and died on the day that was foretold to her, which was on this date in 1246.
Relics of St. Lutgard rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica. This painting of her is from the collection at the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art on campus and is used with permission.
St. Lutgard, who became a mystic after being sent to a convent because her dowry was lost in a scam, pray for us!
Image Credit: Anonymous (Czechoslovakian, 16th century), Saint Lutgarde of Aywières, 16th century, oil on panel. Raclin Murphy Museum of Art: Gift of Dr. Lillian Malcove, 1974.091.