“Heavenly Father, I thank you that your grace and your mercies are new each day. I marvel at your mercy and generosity. Come, Father, and give me a heart of mercy and generosity!”
Reflection
Today was the 2nd Annual Ministry fair at St. Anne’s. I was pretty impressed to learn that there are over 47 different “ministries” dedicated to improving the lives of the entire community (not just the Catholic community) and bringing Jesus closer to them through prayer, action, or example. Most employ all three. Why do we have so many ministries? It was a question I meditated on for the better part of the day. My answer came to me when I read the Gospel for tomorrow. Jesus said, “But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil”. (Matt 5: 38-42)Why would He say that? Shouldn’t we resist evil? We should certainly offer resistance to the temptations of evil. And I don’t think Jesus is saying we should just lie down in front of evil. I think what He is telling us is that He has already resisted evil and defeated the root of it, Satan, two thousand years ago.
Today, Jesus continues to lead the army of his followers peacefully, but strongly, against evil in a new kind of “resistance”—service to others out of love for God. Our job is only to serve him as our faithful commander and do what he asks of us; to love God and to love one another. It is for this reason Jesus continues on with his teaching, saying, “Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles.” Our job, therefore, is to serve actively in the midst of evil, letting our God do the resisting for us so we can give even when there seems nothing more to give. In this giving service we are made, as Paul says, “ministers of God,” enduring all “in the Holy Spirit” for the sake of the kingdom. (2 Cor 6: 1-10).
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