God’s heart is bigger than ours. For our God loves not just the person executed after committing no crime; our God loves the person executed after committing a horrendous crime.
In Matthew’s account of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, he mentions, in verse 10, that the whole “city was in turmoil – stirred – shaken to its foundations.”
Sometimes it is really hard to trust God. Like when you’ve been with a loved one for days in hospital or nursing home and no one knows when all the problems will end.
It is a tale as old as time, that wherever we humans are around, confusion and self-interest are active. Certainly, confusion and self-interest are primary actors in the gospel for today.
This encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman is the longest conversation between Jesus and one individual in the whole New Testament. That by itself should cause us to pay extra attention to this scripture.
It is hard to recognize the lures that the devil offers. For the devil knows how to clothe temptations in lovely garments.
Usually in our New Testament readings we hear from St. Paul. But today we hear the words of St. Peter, one of the three witnesses of Jesus’ transfiguration.
Jesus say, “love your enemies.” Which is asking a lot. But Jesus goes farther than that.
St. Paul gives us positive words today: God is the one who gives the growth – no matter how hard we work, all that is good or worthwhile comes from God’s gifts, not our own. But Jesus gives us nothing but hard sayings today, one after another.
In today’s gospel, Jesus says being his follower is having a particular identity. Being salt. Being light. Jesus expects us to be a little different, as salt is different from dirt, or other objects that are granular.