I read such a sentence not long ago. The Pharisee says: “If there are two righteous people in the world, it is me and my son.” If there’s only one in the world, it’s me.”
I remembered her while reading today’s Gospel about reflecting on the surrounding life. We can sigh: “Lord, when will we who are believers finally find the time to read the Holy Scriptures, or at least the Gospels?” If we read the Gospels at least, there would certainly be fewer shocking cases, anger, quarrels, accusations, and unre, st in families and workplaces. But we are like the aforementioned Pharisees, believers only when something suits us, but nothing more.
Let’s think about the words of Jesus himself when he tells his disciples: “But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. After all, he makes the sun rise on the bad and the good and sends rain on the just and the unjust” (Mt 5,44-45).
Have we understood, or are we still grumbling, contradicting, and unwilling to depart from our truth? In the East, the principle of equal revenge still applies, especially in the case of death – murder, namely to fulfill the obligation of blood revenge. It is an unwritten law whose duty it is to fulfill, and they even say it is imposed by God. Where? Why?
Jesus reprimanded the Pharisees that it is not written in the Old Testament that one should hate one’s enemy … but that is probably how the scribes taught it anyway. Love for the enemy is a purely Christian doctrine.
In the Third Book of Moses (Lev 19:18) we read: “Do not take revenge and do not harbor anger against the members of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself!” I am the Lord!”
But what did the people do? They explained it to each other in such a way that only the people of Sukemia should be loved, not others. The Jews hated publicans, today’s customs officers, and looked upon them as the greatest sinners, especially because they served the hated Romans, and they often committed wrongdoing in trade. However, they were not all the same. After all, customs officials also came to John to be baptized and asked what they should do. He answered them: “Do not demand more than what they have assigned to you!” (Luke 3:13) . And Zacchaeus, when he recognizes the beauty of Christ’s teaching, says: “Lord, I will give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have deceived anyone, I will return fourfold” (Luke 19:8).
And those were the hated toll collectors. It is appalling that we, who have already recognized the beauty of Jesus’ words, with which the Gospel has been proclaimed for two thousand years, who have already heard hundreds of sermons and been encouraged, even after being forgiven by God himself in the sacrament of reconciliation, are worse than the Old Testament Jews. We often only love those who love us. But Jesus asks: “What reward can you expect?” (Mt 5:46).
We greet only our brothers, and friends, from whom we expect to return our attention. Shouldn’t we think again about the words of Jesus: “What strange thing are you doing? Don’t the Gentiles also do this?” (Mt 5:47) And the last sentence from today’s Gospel is like a cry, the call of the heart of Christ: “Be ye therefore perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48).
Do we want to leave today as cold and indifferent as if nothing happened, as if we heard nothing? After all, only a dead person is so cold, and we are alive! After all, when we took the trouble to come here to the church on this day, something certainly warmed us, we certainly came here to change something in our lives. Or do we just want to wait until infinity, until the last breath or the last beat of our heart, for the other person to bow down and not me?! And at the same time, we will be at each other’s throats – I am right, I am right, I am satisfied, nothing?!
Don’t you think that it is we, who are present here, and not those at home, outside, who should fulfill these words of Christ?! We have a lot to fix, we have a lot to be grateful to Jesus for!
We can learn the opposite of St. Rose of Viterbo. Her life story will certainly touch us. This amazing girl, loved by believers, deserves our admiration, even if she was not a person of international importance. We can rightfully call her a saint because God has given her extraordinary grace.
She was born in 1235 in Viterbo, in the central Italian province of Lazio. As a three-year-old, she resurrected her maternal aunt and thereby performed the first miracle. The first time she found herself in a state of rapture, in ecstasy, she was only eight years old! Then the Virgin Mary told her as a 10-year-old to wear the clothes of a Franciscan Tertiary. In that year, Ružena began her first mission against Emperor Bedrich II, an enemy of the Pope, who had illegally occupied Viterbo. She preached on the streets and in the squares and performed incredible miracles. No one dared to touch this girl, who always had to stand on a rock so that the audience could see her. And stones grew under her feet to make her stand out even more. As a 15-year-old, she was expelled from the city, as she was considered a dangerous element that threatens public order. She took refuge in Soriano and continued her fight against the Emperor there. One morning after prayer in the church, she announced that Bedrich II. he is dead, and after a few days, the messengers confirmed this news. From Soriano to Victoriano, where a certain man who declared himself a magician and miracle worker kept all the people under his influence, Ružena set a wood pyre on fire in the square, then climbed onto it and remained in flames for three hours. When she went down again, and the fire did not burn a single hair, the miracle worker fell at her feet. Ružena set a wooden pyre on fire in the square, then climbed onto it and stayed in the flames for three hours. When she went down again, and the fire did not burn a single hair, the miracle worker fell at her feet. Ružena set a wooden pyre on fire in the square, then climbed onto it and stayed in the flames for three hours. When she went down again, and the fire did not burn a single hair, the miracle worker fell at her feet.
When she was 16, she returned home to Viterbo. She wanted to enter a monastery to spend her whole life there in prayer. However, the religious sisters in the monastery called Santa Maria de la Rose did not accept her, because this teenage girl frightened them with her sanctity and caused them embarrassment.
Ružena remained patient even after their rejection and added with a smile: “You don’t want to accept me alive, maybe you’d rather accept me dead when I die.” She then continued her work for two more years as a simple Franciscan Tertiary, while she exhausted all her youths with her acts of passionate Christian love forces.
She died aged 18 in 1253 and her prediction came true. Pope Alexander IV. this young girl appeared three times, so that finally in 1258 he had her body transferred to the temple of the above-mentioned monastery. The ceremonial transfer of her remains took place on September 4. This day was dedicated to the memory of Saint Rose in Viterbo for a long time. Her body rests in the mentioned monastery and is still, after seven centuries, intact. It became the center of love and respect for its fellow citizens.
Jesus says: “Pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your heavenly Father who is in heaven” (Mt 5:45).
If we want to be truly religious people, Jesus has only one request for us. Let’s leave this place happy today because we got rid of the burden that pressed us like a heavy boulder and when we had a clear conscience in this area, let’s pray for the brothers and sisters who are like the aforementioned Pharisee at the beginning of the sermon.
