Daily Gospel Reflection
Join the Notre Dame family of faith. Receive God’s Word and a unique reflection in your inbox each day.
March 7, 2020
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, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.
“For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
At least this gospel is direct. In one fell swoop, we are asked to (1) love our enemies, (2) pray for those who persecute us, (3) be perfect.
In what can feel like a rare moment, the gospel and the world around us are asking for the same thing! Everyone is asking us to be PERFECT!
Though the world and the gospel agree that we should be perfect, the way perfection is defined and measured differs tremendously. The world calls us to make ourselves perfect while God calls us to be perfected in God’s grace. The world fans the flames of our perfectionism by forcing us to compare ourselves to others while God asks only that we live according to the love that Jesus shows us.
Continually, this world strives to show us that we are not enough – that we are not perfect. We might feel like today could be the day that we are found out, that today is the day that it all comes crumbling down. We are all startlingly aware that worldly perfection is unattainable. There’s good news though!
Godly perfection is different altogether. Perfection, in God’s eyes, asks us to fulfill our deepest calling – to live according to the love that Jesus shows us. Thankfully, this is in our control – God likes us like that. In theological terms, we are called to a “perfection of charity” and to “wholeheartedly devote [our]selves to the glory of God and to the service of [our] neighbor” (CCC 2013).
Going forward today, how can we re-frame the meaning of “perfect”. We cannot make ourselves perfect; we must rely on God. We can love our enemies, forgive our foes, give freely and strive to support the most vulnerable in our midst. God eternally gives us the choice to rely on him. You’ve got this. Go be perfect! In God’s definition, of course!
Prayer
O Jesus, our Prince of Peace, help us to learn from you to be gentle and humble of heart. Give us strength and comfort when we are afflicted and bring us to conversion when we afflict our sisters and brothers, that we may be heralds of your kingdom on earth. We ask this through your most Holy Name, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Saints Felicity and Perpetua were famous martyrs from the early Church—they are the saints who appear the most on ancient lists of saints and calendars for veneration. In fact, their story was read publicly in the churches of North Africa, and the great St. Augustine himself had to clarify for his people that these accounts were not of the same stature as Scripture, which indicates just how important people found their story.
Carthage in 203 was a Roman city and enforced the persecution of Christians who failed to worship the image of the emperor, which was a hallmark of the imperial religion. Five catechumens were arrested, and among them were a slave, Felicity, who was pregnant, and Perpetua, who was 22 years old, wife of a well-to-do citizen, and mother of a young child herself. The catechist who had taught these people who were seeking baptism was not arrested but turned himself in because he did not want them to suffer alone.
The Christians were tried and gave witness to their faith by refusing to honor the Roman gods. They were all condemned to execution, except for Felicity—Roman law prevented the execution of any woman who was pregnant. Felicity, however, wanted to join her fellow Christians with the witness of her life and gave birth in prison during her eighth month. The child survived and was adopted by the Christian community of the city.
Perpetua’s child was still nursing at the time of her arrest, and she received permission to have him join her in prison. He weaned before her execution and was raised by her family.
The group was taken to a stadium and killed by wild beasts in front of soldiers on a Roman holiday. Felicity and Perpetua faced a bull, who wounded them but did not kill them. The crowd called for their death by sword, and they exchanged a sign of peace before being killed.
The relics of these two martyrs rest in the reliquary chapel and their story and images are used by high school students who come to campus for a summer conference with the Notre Dame Vision program.
Sts. Felicity and Perpetua, the mothers who faced your martyrdom with courage that inspired faith in others—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of Sts. Felicity and Perpetua is an illustration by Julie Lonneman, who holds exclusive rights to the further distribution and publication of her art. Used with permission.