GOD’S WORD

12th Week in Ordinary Time Ps 15:2-3a, 3bc-4ab, 5 1st Reading: Gen 13:2, 5-18 Gospel: Mt 7:6, 12-14

Reflection:

Any gift given in order to be relished and honored needs a proper receiver. That is why Jesus cautions us not to give anything that we hold dear and sacred to those that will neither appreciate it, nor honor it for lack of capacity to do so. They are not ready for the gift. They do not feel the need to have it. It is a foolish expenditure of effort that could have been otherwise used to a much better endeavor.

Also, love begets love. Reciprocity means that we receive back what we invest in others. Although this is not always the case, still it is better to err on the side of love. And this capacity to hope for the best but not tied up to the response of others when we do good needs a disciplined and tempered heart; one that has navigated the narrow gate that leads to life. It has its own share of wounds. Yet, realized that always, love is the better option. It is a power that is never diminished in space and time.