Year C, Lectionary 81
Hate feeling lost on Sundays at church? Searching for a better explanation of the Bible than what you hear from your pastor's sermon? Check out the following collection of audio, video, and text commentaries from various Christian experts for a better understanding of today's scripture that deal with: Adam • Choice • Commandment • Compassion • Courage • Dignity • Enemy • Faith • Forgive • Freedom • Gift • Hate • Holy Spirit • Judgment • Justice • Love • Martyr • Mercy • Morality • Parent • Prayer • Repent • Restore • Salvation • Sin • Teach • Transformation • Violence • Wisdom •
“That pause for conversation is a gift. It only takes place because everyone’s asleep and as the text says, that deep sleep is the work of the Lord.”
“Paul is emphasizing on Jesus' role as the one who is going to restore creation. As the one who inaugurates a new creation. As the one who liberates fallen humanity from original sin, the sin of Adam and all of its effects”
“the ultimate act of love for one's enemies is Calvary”
“actively engage aggression in the hope of turning it into something new. We love our enemies by shaming them into seeing what they are doing. We are inviting them to see themselves in a mirror.”
“for every disciple who hears and acts on Jesus' words, for every person who pours himself out, for every believer who refuses to judge, hate, condemn or get even, there is someone on the receiving end of that action”
“'turn the other cheek' then in Roman occupied Galilee 2,000 years ago isn't about passivity but responding to violence and injustice with resistance, courage and God-given human dignity”
“this is the other cheek that we turn: we make great sacrifice even to our very selves in order to help another person grow closer to Christ”
“Jesus is also challenging us who are Christians to show our superiority over the world, to rise above the standard of the world by being kind even to our enemies”
“real faith is caught and not taught. Real faith is hanging on by the example we set for our children and how we show them to live out what it means to truly be Christians in this world”
“Instead of hating have you ever tried to love, love like David did on that opposite side of the hill and said 'touch not God's anointed'?”
“the Lord gives us many opportunities to grow in virtue and he gives us the Holy Spirit to realize that we can conquer ourselves. We can have victory over ourselves through Christ”