Daily Gospel Reflection
Join the Notre Dame family of faith. Receive God’s Word and a unique reflection in your inbox each day.
June 18, 2019
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.”
“Treat others the way you wish to be treated.” When I am hurt by the actions of others, I try to remember the Golden Rule. Sometimes, though, this simple adage can seem unattainable.
To make matters even more challenging, Jesus calls us to do even more. We are not only called to do good things for our enemy, like greeting them and assisting when they need help; we are also called to desire the best for them, which can be an even harder task.
One key way of learning to desire the best for an enemy is through prayer. This kind of prayer is a tall order, because it is not my first instinct to desire goodness for those who have robbed me of happiness.
But I know it’s not impossible. I have personally seen how powerful this kind of prayer can be. When I am hurt by the actions of others, I experience conflicted feelings. I honestly believe the other person did not mean to hurt me, so I have a hard time thinking of them as my enemy. But their actions still brought me pain, so I see them, in some way, as an enemy. Prayer allows me to see them as a person still growing to be better, just like myself. Praying for my enemies sets me free from the pain they have caused me, and frees the other person to be more than just the hurt they have caused me.
Our hearts, as hurt as they may be, should desire—like Jesus’—our enemies’ presence in heaven with us. May God grant us the grace to pray for the eternal happiness of those who have hurt us, as Jesus calls us to do.
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. Gregory Barbarigo had all the skills for a successful life in politics, but instead dedicated himself to serving the Church.
He was born in 1625, the son of a senator from Venice, Italy. He was a brilliant student, well-educated, and took on the life of a diplomat with his well-connected family. He accompanied the Venetian ambassador to several important negotiations and traveled extensively.
After five years with the ambassador, he returned to Italy to continue his studies and to enter the world of politics. He soon became disillusioned by the political world, however, and sought advice from a cardinal he had met in his travels. Gregory was thinking of becoming a hermit, but the cardinal advised him to pursue his doctorate in law, then become a priest.
Ten years later, Gregory had earned a doctorate in both civil and canon law and was ordained a priest. His skills were valuable to the Church and he soon was named a bishop, and then cardinal.
He was given responsibility for the diocese in Padua, Italy, and he led the Church there with wisdom. He reorganized and enlarged seminaries in his region, adding a library and a printing press, and worked hard to carry out the reforms that the Church was encouraging at the time.
St. Gregory died on this date in 1697. His relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
St. Gregory Barbarigo, you were a strong leader who gave up your life in politics to serve the Church—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Gregory Barbarigo is in the public domain. Last accessed March 18, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
