June 27, 2017

Gospel: Mt 7:6, 12-14
Do not give what is holy to the dogs, or throw your pearls before pigs. They might trample on them, and then turn on you and tear you to pieces.
So, do to others whatever you would that others do to you: there, you have the law and the prophets.
Enter through the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the road, that leads to destruction, and many go that way. How narrow is the gate that leads to life; and how rough, the road; few there are, who find it.

REFLECTION:
Any gift given in order to be relished and honored needs a proper receiver. That is why Jesus cautions us not to give anything that we hold dear and sacred to those that will neither appreciate it, nor honor it for lack of capacity to do so. They are not ready for the gift. They do not feel the need to have it. It is a foolish expenditure of effort that could have been otherwise used to a much better endeavor.
Also, love begets love. Reciprocity means that we receive back what we invest in others. Although this is not always the case, still it is better to err on the side of love. And this capacity to hope for the best but not tied up to the response of others when we do good needs a disciplined and tempered heart. One that has navigated the narrow gate that leads to life. It has its own share of wounds. Yet it realized that always, love is the better option. It is a power that is never diminished in space and time.