Tuesday 26th week in ordinary time
"Lk 9:51-56"
Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him; but the people would not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, "Lord, do you want us to bid fire come down from heaven and consume them?" But he turned and rebuked them. And they went on to another village.
Those people wouldn't receive Jesus because they didn't like any pilgrim who was heading for Jerusalem. That wasn't nice. No wonder James and John felt offended and resentful towards them. Our Lord rebuked them and went on to another place. He didn't dwell on the offence or say anything against those people. In fact, He was planning to give His Life for them as well. But their time had not yet come. Resentment, animosity and rancour are all at odds with Christianity. "What a great gift the Lord has given us in teaching us to forgive!" Pope Francis tells us.
Resentment is like an infection in our hearts. It damages our soul and prevents us from finding peace. On the contrary, when we show forgiveness, we help the offender to reconsider what they did. Around the year 1929, a worker covered in lime got on a tram and approached a young priest, St Josemaría, who was dressed in his cassock. Taking advantage of the tram's rough movements, the worker intentionally bumped into him and stained his cassock amidst the smiles and silence of some passengers who had witnessed the scene. St Josemaría turned and, with a smile full of affection, told the worker, "My son, let us finish this," and gave him a hug, dirtying his cassock completely.
As St Josemaría put it, we should 'drown evil in an abundance of good'. Thus Jesus prayed for those who crucified Him. And today, in the midst of Christian persecution, we still have the same answer for those who do us any evil. We pray for those who kill Christians, those who insult us, threaten us, ridicule us, laugh at us - and we love them. They show what they have in their hearts, and we, with God's Grace, show them what we have in ours. Mary, Help of Christians, help me always to repay evil with good.
