Jesus the Servant Beloved (Matthew 12:14-21)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
“He will not wrangle or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. He will not break a bruised reed or quench a smouldering wick until he brings justice to victory.”
Today, the words of Jesus in the Divine Liturgy bring to mind the words of the Catechism of the Catholic Church #2478: (…) everyone should be careful to interpret insofar as possible his neighbour’s thoughts, words, and deeds in a favourable way: ‘Every good Christian ought to be more ready to give a favourable interpretation to another’s statement than to condemn it. But if he cannot do so, let him ask how the other understands it. And if the latter understands it badly, let the former correct him with love. If that does not suffice, let the Christian try all suitable ways to bring the other to a correct interpretation so that he may be saved.’ – St. Ignatius of Loyola, Spiritual Exercises, 22
This passage of the Catechism deserves to be photocopied by each of us, placed in a place where we can see it every day, and even try to memorise it!
The technology of today has made many of us into ‘keyboard warriors’ and too often we are ready to crush and destroy our digital opponent. This desire to dominate is part of our wounded human nature.
The grace of God, available in the sacraments, is meant to heal us of these wounds and to make us more like Christ.
May these beautiful summer days of summer rest be an excellent time for each of us to be more open and generous towards our family, our friends and even those we do not agree with.
† Selim Sfeir
Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus