Daily Reflection for Monday, June 20, 2022
Peace and Blessings, Friends and Parishioners,
We encourage you to reflect on Monday’s readings at this link:
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/062022.cfm
If you prefer to use your own Bible, the readings are:
First Reading: 2Kings 17:5-8,13-15a,18
Responsorial: Psalm: 60:3,4-5,12-13
Gospel: Matthew 7:1-5
Our reflection on Monday’s readings:
You have rocked the country and split it open; repair the cracks in it, for it is tottering. Psalm 60:4-5
The last few years have certainly been a challenge for our country. The divisiveness that has marked our political and social landscape has been a source of strife in many families and communities. Some friendships have split apart over differences that seem irreconcilable. The fault lines have crossed everything from our churches, schools, and PTAs, to our town halls and workplaces. We have all seen the steep rise in violence that has rocked our country and the rise of hate groups spewing their venomous messages across the internet. I have learned to keep my opinions to myself until I see how the other person feels to avoid confrontation. But confrontation feels necessary when I hear someone expressing a point of view that devalues other human beings who happen to be of a different skin color, or ethnic group or sexual orientation, for example. Isn’t it a sin to let that behavior go unchallenged if it is harmful to that person’s soul? How do we balance being the voice of the voiceless with Jesus’ command not to judge?
The beam in my eye is often my inability to see the person with whom I vehemently disagree as still deserving of my respect. One way I have tried to train myself is to stop and consider that each and every person is a child of God. “There is something about this person you love, Lord. Let me see it!” I find when I first look for something loveable in that person, I find it easier to consider their point of view, looking for the reasons why they may feel so differently about the subject. We can still disagree but this approach invites dialogue and the possibility of change rather than both of us hardening our positions. As Bishop Fulton Sheen said, “The real test of a Christian is not how much he loves his friends, but how much he loves his enemies.”
Lord, give us your eyes to see as you see and so try to love as you love.
Kathy Cohenour