MONTHLY DEVOTIONAL FOR 17 JUNE
June 17, 2025
NOVENA PRAYER TO THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS
June 18, 2025
TODAY’S GOSPEL READING
17 JUNE, 2025
Matthew 5:43-48
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 GOSPEL OF THE LORD!
REFLECTION
In the gospel reading above, Jesus is inviting His followers to be more loving than the others. In fact, He is calling them to be perfect! Yet, Jesus cannot order His listeners to do something if He knows that they cannot do it. With the power of the Holy Spirit, He knew His followers could do it. The call to love our enemies and to pray for our persecutors is a continuous one. It may not be easy at first but with constant reminders and prayer, our heart of stone will melt and be molded to be meek and humble like our Master’s heart.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, You do not discriminate whom to bless. Jesus is asking us too, not to discriminate whom to love and whom to greet. If we love only those who love us, then we are just like anyone else including those who do not believe in Jesus. Help us Father, to be discerning and thus different, because we have radical love, which does not expect reciprocation or even reward except for the promise of eternal life. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen
