St. Volodymyr's Parish

Sunday Gospel Luke 6, 31-36

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In today’s Gospel Christ talks to us about some things that might sound strange, but should be an active part of our lives. Jesus encourages us to love our enemies and do good to them.

It would seem that if someone is my enemy, then why should I love them, and – even more so – do good to them? But Christ says to us: "as you wish that men would do to you, do so to them”. If someone is our enemy and we repay them with goodness, their behaviour could change sooner or later. When someone hates us, and we love them – they could understand that they do something wrong or bad. Maybe it doesn’t happen immediately, on the same day or week, but when a person sees good examples and the opposite action of what they do, they start to think about their lives.

Christ came into this world and showed boundless love to all people. He died on the cross for each of us. Today’s Gospel says that God is "kind to the ungrateful and the selfish”. God is kind to all of us. He values everyone, whether he/she is good or bad. Because He always waits when people are open to His love, come back to Him, to the home of their Father. And the same thing encourages us to do so. He encourages us to love all people.

Of course, we could not love our enemies as we love our children, parents, husband/wife or our relatives and friends. But we should forgive them, do not wish them ill, do them good, show them different and good examples.

It’s hard to do. We, sometimes, can't forgive even people that are close to us. We are angry for ages if someone offends us. We remember the injustice, sometimes, our whole lives. And God says: "love your enemies”.

Christ tells us these things and says that if we don’t do this, if we don’t show our love first, how are we different from the rest of the world? If we are Christians, followers of Christ, "light of the world” and "salt of the earth” – we should show it by our lives. We should show it, so that others can see who we are. And if we do good just for those people who do good to us, and don’t care about others – how are we different from the rest of the world? If we love those who love us, Christ asks: "what credit is that to you?” if we lend to those from whom we know we receive back – what is our merit? If we do good just to those who are well placed to us – what is our merit?

Today’s world is consumerist. Every company, each brand offers us something, that should be essential for us. There are different offers, sales… and very often we follow this world… listen to advertisements, watch TV, receive calls from different people who convince us to buy that particular product… and we buy and think that this is really necessary for us, that this thing could satisfy us, bring us some joy…

Today Christ also does some kind of advertising, He asks us: "do what I ask you to do, do not expect anything in reward and your reward will be great, you will be sons of Most High”.

Thinks and consider for the value of something in our lives. This world offers us everything, and very often we want everything. And God offers us one thing – to live with Him for ever. And we even never think about this. What is most important for us?

That’s why I would like to wish all of us, if we want to receive this reward we should remember about this every moment of our lives. I would like to wish that the thought about life with God be present in our lives; that we love God, one another, our enemies; that we do good things to all and really be sons and daughters of the Most High, and live with Him every day, that He gives us here, on earth and for ever in heaven, that He prepared for each of us. Amen.

Fr. Andriy Mykytyuk