SIGNS THAT WE HAVE SEEN THE SALVATION OF GOD - 06/19/23 (Monday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time)

Matthew 5:38-42

Jesus said to his disciples: "You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow."

For the full readings, click here: 

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/061923.cfm

Blessed Monday! God has revealed Himself to us in many ways, but specially through the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord offered Himself on the Cross for our salvation. He sends the Holy Spirit and guides the Church to proclaim the gospel. Our Lord has given us the Scriptures, and He has inspired the saints to live holy lives for us to imitate. God has done all of these things because He wants us to see His gift of salvation and recognize that this is the greatest gift we can ever receive. And yet, not everyone who may go to Mass have that desire of giving their lives completely to God. Not everyone has seen, with the eyes of faith, the reality of salvation. What are some of the signs that we should take notice if we have already seen the importance of salvation? 

One of these signs include our desire to imitate Christ, especially in our sacrifices. Other people think that it's enough to follow the 10 commandments without focusing on the means to persevere in holiness. For example, some say that they are not committing murder, they are not physically hurting other people, they are not stealing, etc, as if these things are enough. It's true that we should avoid these grave sins, but spiritual life is not just about what we should avoid, it's also about what we can do to love God and our neighbors in the highest degree. This is why our Lord Jesus tells us to offer no resistance to one who is evil and to give the left cheek if someone strikes on our right cheek. When we reflect on it, we can actually see that this is how Jesus has shown His love for us on the Cross. He embraced the sufferings despite the fact that His own people hurt Him, caused Him pain, spitted on Him, crowned Him with thorns, lashed Him and crucified Him on the Cross. The words of Christ doesn't mean that we will make our eyes blind from the evil around us. But, it means that God is calling us to love others just as how He loves us by forgiving us despite our sins which offended Him. It's difficult to love those who may have hurt us. As such, let's speak to God and tell Him how hurt we are by the actions of other people. Let's offer to Him our pain and tell Him our thoughts and feelings. And, let's reflect on the love of God and from here, by the grace of God, we can forgive them in our prayers and be compassionate and gentle with them. 

Another sign that we have already seen God's salvation is when we desire that more people will be changed and be more faithful to Christ. One of the dangers in this world is indifferentism, the idea that we simply don't care on other people around us. They don't think that we should desire people to be faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church, that it's ok for people to believe whatever they want and that we should just mind our own business and not of others. But, if we truly believe that salvation and union with God will bring us true, lasting and greatest happiness in our lives, we will desire this for many people as well. Our hearts will be burning with Divine love, not just for ourselves, but also for others. And, the more we love them, the more that we will desire to be good examples to them so that they may not be scandalized. Because we want other people to imitate Christ, we will persevere, by the help of God's grace, to embrace the sufferings in present life, to be patient amidst the tribulations, to avoid sin despite the temptations of lust and other occasions of sins, to be more generous towards the poor, and many more. And, our intentions for doing these things are not just for ourselves, but because we have confidence in God that if they see our works, they can be more inspired to glorify God in their actions. Just as how we know that the sins of people can influence us negatively to fall to more sins, we also know that our good works, done with the help of God, can influence more people to love Him. As we reflect on our own lives, do we feel that there is still lacking in our faith? Do we realize that we are not as concerned for the salvation of souls as what we ought to be? Let's not be discouraged. Today is the day of salvation. Whatever our past is, God is giving us this day for us to renew our love for Him, to make progress in our spiritual journey, and to imitate our Lord Jesus as we carry the crosses in our daily lives. 

Amen +

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic

Examination of Conscience and Guide to Sacrament of Confession:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/examination-of-conscience/

Ultimate Catholic Parents Guide:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ls6IcexZAls

Summary and Defense of Catholic Teachings:

https://www.catholic.com/tract/pillar-of-fire-pillar-of-truth