Sunday Gospel: Matthew 5:38-48, Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A

Love your enemies

At times it seems we have rewritten the ‘Golden Rule’ to say: Do unto others before they can do unto you! In saying this we are not encouraging each other to do good, but to be defensive. Jesus tells us to go the extra mile, turn the other cheek, outdo ourselves in generosity and rise above the fray. He is not suggesting that we allow ourselves to be abused, but that we not perpetuate the antagonism out of which the mistreatment arose. He is not advocating passivity, but he is saying that we should not retaliate. Jesus is describing what we today would call active non-resistance, the attitude taught by Gandhi and Martin Luther King.

We are familiar with the answer to the question: Who is my neighbour? We usually interpret it to mean those we do not particularly like. It is important to love them, to be kind to them, to help them when they are in need. But these are not the people whom Jesus is talking about in today’s reading. He tells us that the neighbours whom we are to love are those people who do not like us. We are to love those who deliberately exclude us from their social circles, who talk about us behind our backs. We are to love those who make us feel that we are not good enough for them, those who resent us for our accomplishments. We are to love those who exploit us or do us harm. This is indeed a radical teaching. (Diana Bergant CSA)

Sacrament of Reconciliation

A gentle reminder that First Reconciliation enrolments for baptised students in Year 3 (and above) are open via the QKR! App North Woden Transfiguration.

To those families who have enrolled and have selected a family group, your child should have brought home their activity book. Please email me if you have any concerns or if your child has not received their book.

Dates for your Diary:

Week 4:

Parish Mass: Commissioning Staff for 2023, Saturday 18th February 6:00 pm 

Ash Wednesday Liturgy, Wednesday 22nd February 12 noon

Blessings for the week ahead,

Veronica Hall

Religious Education Coordinator