June 16, 2026 Tuesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time Gospel: Matthew 5:43–48
Today is Tuesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time. The passage from the Gospel of Matthew continues Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. In this teaching, Jesus reveals to us a way of living and shows us the face of a merciful Father. I would like to offer some further reflections.
In life, it is nearly impossible to live in isolation or to avoid relationships with others, for we are not meant to be alone. Yet when we interact with others, we often follow the logic and norms of this world—a world that says: “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth; love your neighbor and hate your enemy.”
Broadly speaking, our “neighbor” refers to those who live alongside us and care for us. Our “enemies” are those who oppose us, who stand in our way, or who disagree with us. But the neighbor Jesus speaks of is not limited to those close to us; He includes the vulnerable—the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the sick, and the imprisoned. Likewise, our enemies are not only those who oppose us on earth; they are also, in a spiritual sense, those who accuse us before God because of our sins and wrongdoing.
Today, Jesus calls us to abandon the logic of this passing world. The world tells us: “You must repay evil with evil, or you will be seen as weak and others will take advantage of you.” But Jesus teaches: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven” (cf. Matt 5:43–45). To be children of the Father means to resemble Him in every way. For our heavenly Father does not punish us; He loves us—even anticipating our needs and pouring out grace upon us before we even ask.
Jesus tells us: “He makes His sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust” (cf. Matt 5:45). That “sun” is the Word of God, the true Light that enlightens everyone, as St. John says (cf. John 1:9). It shines not only on those who accept the Kingdom Jesus proclaims, but also on those who reject it—so that through His word, the world may come to know the true face of the Father.
Likewise, having been baptized and anointed with the Holy Spirit, we are called to live as God’s children. We must let the light of Christ, received in the initiatory sacraments, shine through us—drawing near to those who do not yet know the God Jesus reveals. We are to bring them the Gospel, so that they too may be illumined by Christ’s light and no longer live according to their former ways, but according to the way Jesus taught us—so that our thoughts, words, and deeds may reflect the perfection of our heavenly Father.
O God, strength of those who hope in you, graciously hear our pleas, and, since without you mortal frailty can do nothing, grant us always the help of your grace, that in following your commands we may please you by our resolve and our deeds. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever
June 15, 2026 Monday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time Gospel: Mt 5:38-42
Today is Monday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time. The passage from the Gospel of Saint Matthew continues the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount. In this teaching, Jesus instructs us on the principles by which those who belong to His kingdom—the world of God—ought to conduct themselves. Indeed, the principles Jesus teaches us are truly astonishing.
Jesus says to us: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well.” (cf. Mt 5:38–39) If we try to understand these words according to mere human reasoning, we find that they stand in complete contrast to the norms of the present world. For the way of this world demands an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth; if we do not act likewise, we are seen as cowardly. Yet Jesus does not ask us to abandon resistance, but to pursue true justice. We see this in Jesus Himself: when He was arrested and brought before the High Priest for interrogation, and one of the soldiers standing nearby struck Him because He had spoken what seemed to the High Priest to be offensive words, Jesus replied: “If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong; but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike Me?” (cf. Jn 18:19–23).
Jesus teaches us: “If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand over your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. Give to whoever asks of you, and do not turn away from one who wants to borrow from you.” (Mt 5:40–42) This reminds us that each of us is a steward of all that God has created. According to His holy will, God entrusts all that He has made to our care. He further calls us to reveal, like Him, the face of the merciful Father to the world—by concrete actions showing forth God’s profound love for humanity, bringing the love of God into this world so lacking in His mercy.
O God, strength of those who hope in you, graciously hear our pleas, and, since without you mortal frailty can do nothing, grant us always the help of your grace, that in following your commands we may please you by our resolve and our deeds. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever
June 14, 2026 Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Gospel: Matthew 9:36–10:8
Today is the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time. The passage from the Gospel of Saint Matthew describes the challenges faced by Jesus and His disciples in His time. I would say: this challenge remains present in the Church today.
Often, like the crowds whom Jesus saw when He first sent out His disciples to proclaim the Gospel, we too live amid various hardships and sufferings (cf. Mt 9:36–38). When we find ourselves in such distress, we are like the disciples crossing the sea with Jesus that night, caught in a violent storm, crying out to Him: “Teacher! We are perishing!” (cf. Mk 4:35–39)—for it seems to us that God no longer loves us.
But in truth, God, rich in mercy, has not abandoned us, nor left us to remain forever in sin and the death it brings. He gave His only Son, who offered Himself as a sacrifice on the cross, a sin offering for all our transgressions, reconciling us to Himself. Thus, Christ became the mediator of the new covenant, and through His death He atoned for the sins committed under the first covenant, so that those called might receive the promised inheritance (cf. Heb 9:15–16). For through the disobedience of the first Adam and Eve, we were born into original sin and plunged into death; but the second Adam—Christ—poured out His precious blood on the cross. “In the days of His flesh, He offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to the One who was able to save Him from death” (cf. Heb 5:7). As He hung upon the cross, He prayed to the Father: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Lk 23:34). When His side was pierced by the soldier’s spear, there flowed out blood and water (cf. Jn 19:34). It is in that blood and water flowing from His sacred side that we are cleansed from the stain of original sin, dying with Christ, buried with Him, so that we may be united with Him and share in His resurrection, beginning a new life in Him (cf. Rom 6:4–5).
Having been baptized into Christ and anointed with the Holy Spirit, we become children of God. We have a responsibility to cherish our own vocation and the vocation of the Church. Today, the Church needs Christians—especially the lay faithful—to take up the mission of evangelization. To evangelize, we must first understand what we proclaim: what God reveals through His Church, built upon Saint Peter. Only then can we rightly announce the word of God, inviting others to enter our churches, hear the divine message, and experience together the love of God, united in communion through our Lord Jesus Christ.
O God, strength of those who hope in you, graciously hear our pleas, and, since without you mortal frailty can do nothing, grant us always the help of your grace, that in following your commands we may please you by our resolve and our deeds. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever
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