And be kind to one another...

 

Scripture readings for this reflection can be found at Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time | USCCB

In the readings for this Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary time we have so much to meditate upon in our relationship with God. 

In the first reading from 1 Kings 19, we hear of Elijah journeying into the desert, feeling depressed, praying for death. "This is enough, O Lord! Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers." (1 Kings 19:4) Then the angel came to him, not once, but twice, fed him, nourished him with water, and Elijah was healed and able to continue in his service of God. This is an example of how God is with each one of us. When we think we are at our wits end, God is there to heal us in whatever way we may need healing.

In the Gospel from John chapter 6, we hear the continuation of the Bread of Life discourse. We hear the words of Jesus, "I am the living bread come down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world." (John 6:51) In this teaching from the Lord, he very clearly is teaching about the Holy Eucharist that we receive at every mass. In Holy Communion, we receive the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ. We are being nourished by this Bread from Heaven.

What I would like to reflect on now is something that I feel we tend to forget. Paul to the Ephesians says, "All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting and reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice." (Ephesians 4:31) With all that is going on, not only here in the political scene that we're facing as we approach the elections in November, but also in the Middle East, there is no love or understanding at all taking place. Instead, it's all that Paul is describing. Until EVERYONE learns to get rid of all these things Paul mentions, we will never have peace in this world.

And what does Paul ask us to do? He says, "And be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ." (Ephesians 4:32) That's a pretty tough thing to do, isn't it? We all have people in our lives that have hurt us that we want nothing to do with. So, it's hard to be kind and compassionate to these people that have hurt us so. But that is what the Lord, through St. Paul is calling us to do. Kindness, compassion and forgiveness, whether in our own families, or towards others who may be different from us is our calling from God. Hatred towards anyone is always wrong. We're all made in the image of God and, as a result, we need to the love those people that God has placed into our lives.

If you find it hard to do as Paul suggests, maybe the best thing to do is to pray for those we find it hard to forgive and love.  And we should pray for ourselves that we can learn to be as forgiving and loving as God wants us to be towards everyone.