Love Your Enemies.

MATTHEW 5:44 - 45 "But now I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may become the children of your Father in heaven."

MARTYRDOM - It's good to behold but difficult to do. It's bitter and painful. Our human nature would always urge us to fight back.

There are only two ways that our rational mind could respond to these trying situations: fight and flee. And our arrogant, self - indulgent ego would always insist on fighting back. Fleeing would imply weakness and defeat. Who would want to lose a battle?

Every one of us wants to win. Everybody wants to be a hero. Every body wants to be great. But the greatness in human eyes is vile in the eyes of God. Remember, many martyrs become saints.

Jean de Beaumetz, Jean Malouel and Henri Bellechose, working in Dijon, were successively the official artists of the DDukes of Burgundy, Philippe le Hardi and Jean sans Peur. Characteristic of their work is the combination of refined draughtsmanship with fresh, brilliant colours heightened by gilding, in an attempt to express deep emotion. It has been suggested that this painting was begun by Jean Malouel and completed by Bellechose.

A Commandment and A Promise

Exodus 15:26 - The Lord said to them, "If you will obey me completely by doing what I consider right and keep my commandments, I will not punish you with any of the diseases that I brought on the Egyptians. I am the Lord, the one who heals you."

Here is a commandment that comes with a promise. The Lord gave the Law through Moses but Jesus came to fulfill the promise that came with it. People heard of the miracles he has done and were longing to get an experience of his healing power. That is why many people came to him.

We all are sick people. We all experience suffering in our lives and we long to break free from this suffering. We all want to be healed from our sickness. That is why we should come to Jesus. He is the god who heals us. He is Immanuel - God with us.

Follow is a verb that means to obey, copy or imitate. Following Jesus simply means to imitate his ways, to obey his words. And all of Jesus' life had been lived in obedience to God. So if we follow Jesus, we are obeying God's commands. Then, we can be confident that God's promise will be fulfilled in our lives.

 

MATTHEW 4:24 - The news about him [Jesus] spread through the whole country of Syria, so that people brought to him all those who were sick, suffering from all kinds of diseases and disorders: people with demons and epileptics, and paralytics - and Jesus healed them all.

Faith is Personal Decision.

"They were in their boat with their father Zebedee, getting their nets ready. Jesus called them, and at once they left the boat and their father, and went with him." (Matthew 4:21)

Faith is a personal decision to follow Christ. It does not matter if you were born and raised in a devout Christian family or not. The decision had to be made. Will you choose to respond to Christ call? Jesus had already shown us the benefits of becoming his disciple.

"Faith is man's response to God, who reveals himself and gives himself to man, at the same time bringing man a superabundant light as he searches for the ultimate meaning of his life." (Catechism of the Cathelic Church #26, definitive edition, p.19)

The Lord is my Light.

"No longer will the sun be your light by day nor the moon be your light by night; I, the Lord, will be your eternal light. The light of my glory will shine on you. Your days of grief will come to an end. I, the Lord, will be your eternal light." (Isaiah 60:19-20)

♥ Who am I? I asked myself. And I searched everywhere for answers but could not find a gratifying one. So I looked within but still there was darkness. I could not see a thing until I considered God. 

It is difficult to get an idea of who you are if you do not put God in the situation. It is like total darkness. Your mind could only go blank. No thoughts would come into your head. It is all black. You could not see a thing.

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; I will fear no one. The Lord protects me from all danger; I will never be afraid." (Psalm 27:1)