Monday of week 11 in Ordinary Time
Gospel: Matthew 5:38-42
In today’s Gospel, Jesus invites His disciples to move beyond the logic of retaliation and enter into the logic of divine love: “If anyone hits you on the right cheek, offer him the other as well.” These words are not a call to weakness or passive resignation, but a revelation of the transforming power of God’s love. Human instinct seeks balance through revenge, repayment, or self-defense, but the love of God introduces a completely different way of responding. It breaks the cycle of violence, resentment, and hostility by answering evil not with more evil, but with goodness. This is precisely what God has done for humanity. Rather than responding to sin with destruction, He responded with mercy, forgiveness, and the gift of His Son. The Christian is called to participate in this same love. What makes the difference is not human strength or moral superiority, but the presence of God’s love in the heart. Only a person who knows he is deeply loved by God can respond to injury without being consumed by bitterness. The Gospel teaches that true victory is not found in defeating another person, but in allowing divine love to be stronger than hatred, pride, or the desire for revenge. In this way, the disciple becomes a living witness to the love that has already transformed the world through Christ. Let’s reflect: When I am hurt, offended, or treated unjustly, do I allow the love of God to transform my response, or do I remain trapped in the cycle of resentment, retaliation, and the need to repay evil with evil?
Don Giorgio