SÉPTIMO DOMINGO DEL TIEMPO ORDINARIO 2025

Queridos hermanos y hermanas, las lecturas de este domingo nos invitan a elegir a Jesús y sus enseñanzas como forma de vida, que nos permite llegar a ser personas extraordinarias guiadas por el Espíritu Santo. Reflexionemos sobre las siguientes preguntas: ¿Qué haces cuando estás viendo la televisión y no te gusta lo que estás viendo? ¿Has visto alguna vez una película de acción en la que el protagonista es maltratado y, después de sufrir demasiado, se venga? ¿Estás de acuerdo con su necesidad de venganza? ¿Qué sientes en tu corazón cuando te vengas? ¿Has maldecido alguna vez a una persona que te ha hecho algo malo? ¿Has bendecido alguna vez a un ladrón o a una persona que te ha robado algo? ¿Tratas con amor, afecto y bondad a las personas que te caen mal? ¿Amas a tus enemigos?

Perdonar a nuestros enemigos y rezar por ellos no es una tarea imposible. Hoy encontramos un ejemplo en la primera lectura, tomada del Primer Libro de Samuel. David no aprovechó la oportunidad de matarlo cuando la tuvo. Le perdonó porque consideraba a Saúl el ungido de Dios y alguien a quien respetar. Otro ejemplo de perdón es el mismo Jesús, quien, cuando estaba clavado en la cruz, le pidió a su Padre que perdonara a sus agresores.

¿Sabes que hay algunos comportamientos que la gente tiene y que podrían ser correctos en algunas circunstancias según el comportamiento humano, pero que Jesús no considera cristianos? Por ejemplo, no es cristiano vengarse de alguien que nos ha hecho algo malo. Tampoco es cristiano odiar a alguien que nos ha hecho daño, aunque solo lo hagamos en secreto, ni hacerle daño a nadie, aunque parezca que las circunstancias lo justifican. No es cristiano ser bueno solo con quien es bueno con nosotros. Jesús nos invita hoy a proponer amor, bondad y oración a quienes nos proponen odio y venganza. Su invitación es a no entrar en la lógica del mal y proponer siempre el bien y la bondad a los demás. Nos invita a «cambiar de canal» y a no participar en la «justificación» de los que hacen el mal.

Su propuesta no es imposible para nosotros porque Él mismo vivió su vida según esa doctrina. Hoy nos invita a no ser cristianos pasivos que hacen lo mismo que los no creyentes indiferentes, sino a ser cristianos extraordinarios y activos, comportándonos como Jesús nos enseñó. Este es el comportamiento que Jesús espera de sus seguidores:

Amar a nuestros enemigos. Hacer el bien a los que nos odian. Bendecir a los que nos maldicen. Rezar por quienes nos maltratan. Dar la otra mejilla al que nos golpea. Dar sin esperar nada a cambio. Ser amables con los ingratos y malvados. Hacer a los demás lo que nos gustaría que ellos nos hicieran a nosotros. Dejar de juzgar y condenar. Perdonar lo que otros nos han hecho y compartir nuestros bienes con los más necesitados.

Queridos hermanos y hermanas, hoy tenemos una gran oportunidad para recordar que los cristianos estamos invitados por nuestro Señor Jesucristo a no ser personas ordinarias. Cuando fuimos bautizados, recibimos el Espíritu Santo y, por tanto, fuimos invitados a comportarnos como personas extraordinarias, siempre dispuestas a proponer el bien y la paz a quienes nos proponen el mal y la violencia. Tómate hoy un momento para reflexionar sobre la enseñanza de Jesús y pregúntate si te comportas como cristiano o como una persona ordinaria.

Por último, ten la certeza de que, si estás luchando por ser bueno, por perdonar las faltas de los demás, por servir y amar a las personas, incluso cuando sientes que no se lo merecen, Dios Padre te está animando y ayudando a comportarte como lo hizo su Hijo Jesús cuando estuvo en la tierra. Amén.

P. Luis Segura M.S.C.

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SEVENTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME 2025.

Dear brothers and sisters, this Sunday is about choosing Jesus and His teaching as a Way of Life, and to be extraordinary people guided by the Holy Spirit, so let us consider the following examples: What do you do when you are watching television and you dislike what you are watching? Have you ever seen an action movie where the main character is mistreated and after suffering too much, he takes revenge? Do you agree with his need for revenge? What do you feel in your heart when he takes revenge? Have you ever cursed a person who has done something wrong to you? Have you ever blessed a thief or a person who has stolen something from you? Do you treat with love, affection, and kindness those who dislike you? Do you love your enemies?

Forgiving our enemies and praying for them is not an impossible task to fulfill. Today we find an example in the first reading taken from the First Book of Samuel. David didn’t take advantage of Saul when he had the opportunity to kill him. He forgave him because David considered Saul as the one anointed by God and worthy of respect. One more example of forgiveness is Jesus himself, when He was hanging on the Cross, He asked His Father to forgive His offenders.

Do you know that there are some behaviors that people have and could be correct in some circumstances according to human behavior but are not Christian according to Jesus? For example, it is not Christian to take revenge on someone who has done something wrong to us. It is not Christian to hate someone who has hurt us, even if it is a secret hatred, or to hurt anyone, no matter if circumstances justify it. It is not Christian to be good only to those who are good to us. Jesus invites us today to propose love, good and prayer for those who propose evil, hatred and revenge to us. His invitation is not to enter into the logic of evil and always propose good and kindness to others. He is inviting us to “change the channel” and not to play the “blame game” of the evildoers.

His proposal for us is not impossible because He himself lived his life according to that doctrine. He is inviting us today not to be passive Christians who do the same as indifferent non-believers do, but to be extraordinary and active Christians because we behave in the same way as Jesus taught us. This is the behavior Jesus expects from His followers:

To love our enemies. To do good to those who hate us. To bless those who curse us. To pray for those who mistreat us. To offer the other cheek to the one who strikes us. To lend, expecting nothing back. To be kind to the ungrateful and wicked. To do to others as we would have them do to us. To stop judging and condemning. To forgive what others have done to us and to share our gifts with the neediest of our neighbors.

Dear brothers and sisters, today we have a great opportunity to remember that we Christians are invited by our Lord Jesus Christ not to be ordinary people. When we were baptized, we received the Holy Spirit and for that reason we were invited to behave as extraordinary people who are always ready to propose good and peace to those who propose evil and violence. Take a moment today to reflect on Jesus' teaching and ask yourselves if you are behaving like a Christian or like a non- believer.

Today Jesus invites us “do to others as you would have them do to you”

Finally, be sure that if you are struggling to be good, to forgive other`s faults, to serve and love people, even when you feel they don't deserve it, God the Father is encouraging and helping you to behave in the same way as His Son Jesus did when He was here on earth. Amen

Rev. Luis Segura M.S.C.

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We continue to pray for Fr. Raj, who is in India to celebrate the Mass of Resurrection for his mother who recently died.

Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time - C

My friends, today’s gospel verses from Luke directly follow the gospel verses from last Sunday.

Today, Jesus said to his disciples:  “To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”

There is no commandment of Jesus which has caused so much discussion and debate and disagreement as the commandment to “love our enemies.”

What’s really significant in Luke’s gospel is the Greek word for “love” that Jesus used:  “Agape.”  Agape is the highest form of love.  It means that no matter what a person does to us we will never allow ourselves to desire anything for that person but the highest good.  It means that we will deliberately go out of our way to be good and kind to those who mistreat us.

Now, the love we have for our dear ones is something we cannot help.  Falling in love is something which happens to us. But love towards our enemies is not only something of the heart but of the will also.  And this is made possible by the Grace of God within us.

Today’s gospel message has several things about Christian ethics:

The Christian ethic is positive.  It doesn’t consist in not doing things but in doing them.  Jesus gave us the Golden Rule which bids us to do to others as we would have them do to us.  The very essence of Christian conduct is that it consists, not in refraining from bad things, but in actively doing good things.

This is why we confess the Confiteor at Mass:  “For all the things I have done and failed to do.”

My friends, today’s gospel is similar to last week’s in that Jesus is urging us to look at the big picture of life.  He urges us to look beyond our needs and wants and consider the needs of others.  To forgive those who have hurt us or have done us an injustice.  “Forgive and you will be forgiven.”

Today Jesus urges us to listen carefully and gives us many examples regarding our treatment of and interaction with others. 

It can also be condensed into his Second Great Commandment:  “Love one another as I have loved you.”     That’s the key…