Did you know that one of the most radical things you can do is to be a Catholic? It is true. To be a Catholic in this day and age is to be counter cultural, to be different, and to stand for something in a world that often falls for anything! This week’s readings remind us just how radical being a Catholic is. In our first reading Moses tells the people that they are called to be Holy. He also reminds them to love their neighbor as themselves. This is a tough saying. Loving others as yourself? Not easy to do. St. Paul tells the Church at Corinth that they are the temples of the Holy Spirit. This indeed is a radical saying. If we have the Spirit of God in us then we are His temple, and therefore we should act like it in the way we treat others.
Finally our blessed Lord Jesus sums it up by introducing extremely radical ideas to the disciples. In Jewish thought and law if someone stole your sheep, you should steal theirs. If someone poked out your eye, you could poke out theirs. It was fair, and it served well in governing the various tribes at the time. However as the people of God expanded into a Kingdom and then a nation, the tribal laws evolved as well. However, our Lord takes us deeper. He wants to challenge us to really look at ourselves and get beyond our animal or base reactions. He wants us to love our enemies. Pray for those who persecute us. This is extreme thinking! Why? Because we want revenge, justice and others to get what’s coming to them. Jesus challenges our thinking, dares us to break out and become the super natural people filled with His Spirit that we are called to be. So this week, take some time, challenge your reactions and responses and dare to be radical in the Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ…May God richly bless you always…