Gospel: Matthew 23:1-12

 

These three brief verses of the Gospel are the final part of a brief discourse of Jesus. In the first part of His discourse, He addresses Himself to the disciples and to the rich proclaiming four beatitudes for the disciples, and four curses for the rich. 

 

In the second part, He addresses Himself to all those who are listening, that is, the immense crowd of poor and sick, who had come from all parts. The words which He addresses to this people and to all of us are demanding and difficult: to love the enemy, not curse them, offer the other cheek to the one who slaps you on one, and do not complain if someone takes what is ours. 

 

How can this difficult advice be understood? The explanation is given in the three verses of today’s Gospel from which we draw the center of the Good News brought by Jesus.

 

The change which Jesus wants to bring about in us does not consist in merely changing something to invert the system, because in this way nothing would change. He wants to change the system. 

 

The idea which Jesus wants to portray comes from the new experience that He has of God the Father, full of tenderness, who accepts all, good and bad, who makes the sun shine on both the good and on the bad and makes the rain fall on both good and bad. True love must want the good of the other independently of what he does for me. The disciples of Jesus should radiate this merciful love.