Thursday of week 23 in Ordinary Time
1 Cor. 8:1-7,11-13 ·
Ps.138(139):1-3,13-14,23-24
Luke 6:27-38
You may inquire why another individual's conscience should constrain your liberty. As stated in 1 Corinthians 10:29, “The fact is that whether you eat or drink — whatever you do — you should do all for the glory of God," 1 Corinthians 10:31.
Our love for others, including those who are ungrateful and selfish toward us, must be characterized by the same kindness and mercy that God has extended to us.
*STOP CALLING YOURSELF A CHRISTIAN WHILE YOU ARE KEEPING ENEMIES IN YOUR HEART!*
*(BY FR. BENJAMIN BRODRICKS)*
*HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE TWENTY-THIRD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR II (SEPTEMBER 10, 2026)*
*1Cor.8:1b-7, 11-13; Ps.139; Luke 6:27-38.*
*INTRODUCTION*
My dear brothers and sisters, one of the hardest things in life is to love somebody who has hurt us. It is easy to love the person who greets us, helps us, respects us and speaks well of us. But what about the person who insulted us? What about the relative who cheated us? What about the neighbour who spread false stories about us? What about the person who has refused to forgive us?
Today, Jesus gives us a difficult command: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who treat you badly.”
This is not ordinary human behaviour. It is Christian behaviour.
*1. LOVE IS NOT THE SAME AS LIKING*
Jesus does not say we must like everything our enemies do. He says we must love them.
To love somebody does not mean approving his wrongdoing. It means refusing to allow his wrongdoing to turn us into another wicked person.
Somebody may have offended you, but do not allow his offence to destroy your peace. Somebody may have cheated you, but do not become a cheat because of him. Somebody may have insulted you, but do not allow his insult to make you insulting.
You cannot control what people do to you, but you can control what their actions make you become.
*2. FORGIVENESS IS NOT WEAKNESS*
Sometimes we say, “Father, I cannot forgive. What he did was too much.”
Yes, some wounds are deep. Some betrayals are painful. Some injustices are difficult to forget.
But Jesus says: “Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”
Forgiveness does not mean that we pretend nothing happened. It does not mean that we refuse justice or allow somebody to continue abusing us. Rather, forgiveness means that we surrender our desire for revenge to God.
If you keep hatred in your heart for many years, you may think you are punishing your enemy. But often, you are the one suffering.
The person who offended you may be sleeping peacefully while you are losing your sleep because of him.
Forgiveness sets the heart free.
*3. STOP MEASURING PEOPLE BY WHAT THEY DESERVE*
Jesus says, “Do good to those who hate you.”
The world says, “Give people what they deserve.”
Jesus says, “Give them what they need to become better.”
If everybody returns evil for evil, where will evil end?
A husband insults his wife; she insults him back. The children hear them and learn the same behaviour. A neighbour fights another neighbour; their children inherit the quarrel. Two families remain enemies for twenty years because nobody is ready to say, “Let us end this matter.”
Somebody must be the first to break the chain.
And perhaps Jesus is saying to us today: “Let that person be you.”
*4. BE CAREFUL WITH KNOWLEDGE WITHOUT LOVE*
St Paul tells the Corinthians, “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.”
This is very important.
Sometimes we know the Bible. We know Church rules. We know what everybody else is doing wrong. We can quote Scripture and correct others. But if all this knowledge does not make us more loving, humble and patient, then something is missing.
You may be right in an argument and still be wrong in the way you treat the person.
Being right is not enough; we must also be loving.
*CONCLUSION*
My dear brothers and sisters, Jesus gives us a simple test today:
Can you pray for the person you find difficult to forgive?
Can you stop speaking evil about that person? Can you greet him? Can you wish him well? Can you leave revenge in God's hands?
This is not easy. But Christianity is not about doing only what is easy.
The measure of Christian maturity is not how we treat our friends. It is how we treat those who have hurt us.
Let us go home today with one decision:
“I will not allow another person's hatred to make me hateful. I will not return evil for evil. I will forgive, I will pray, and I will leave judgement to God.”
For Jesus says: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
If God has been merciful to us, who are we to refuse mercy to another person?
*LET US PRAY 🙏*
Merciful Father, as You have forgiven me many times, help me to be merciful to others, so that my life may truly show that I am a disciple of Christ
Lord, deliver me from hatred, bitterness and the desire for revenge; do not allow another person's evil to make me evil. Amen.
Friday of week 23 in Ordinary Time
1 Corinthians 9:16-19,22-27
Psalm 83(84):3-6,12
Luke 6:39-42
May Christ heal us
Jesus employs the parables of the blind leading the blind and of the speck and the log in one’s eye to caution his disciples against spiritually blind leaders who may cause others to stumble into danger. More specifically, he emphatically instructs them to refrain from judging others when their own sins may be significantly greater. In both cases, removing one’s own “log” is arduous, demanding brutal honesty and self-awareness. It necessitates profound vulnerability. After confronting the pain of their own woundedness and brokenness, and experiencing the healing grace of God, an individual's approach to another person’s "speck" or wound transforms entirely. They no longer judge or view others with self-righteousness. Instead, grounded in their own woundedness and adopting a mentorship perspective, they offer help with a gentle, empathetic hand. The traditional sign on the cross, on which Jesus was crucified, bears the inscription, "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews." It could just as accurately read, “The Wounded Healer." Likewise, the core message of today’s Gospel may be less about punitive moralism and more about the mutual healing exemplified by Christ, which we are called to enact— as wounded healers ourselves.
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