Thursday September 11, 2025

Luke 6:27-36

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘I say this to you who are listening: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who treat you badly.

One of the best homilies I heard on Good Friday many many years ago was given by Fr Chuck Thompson who later became Archbishop of Indianapolis. He said “the cross of Christ says to the world, it ends here. The violence ends with this cross, hate ends here!” This was such a powerful message when it first landed on my ears and I have remembered it since that day. “It ends here!!!”

Our Lord wished for the disciples to create a new world. They had lived in a violent world and it seemed that violence and hate just begot more violence and hate. Let it end here with us believers. We can lead others by showing that it is okay to disagree on opinions but to still let them be. When one starts to demonize the other we can help by not participating in such talk. These little acts of goodness and kindness do have an impact.