💖 HOMILY - JUNE 17 💖

First Reading - 2 Corinthians 8:1-9 

Gospel - Matthew 5:43-48

‘Love’ is a word we often associate with feelings—warmth, affection, closeness. But the readings today remind us that love, for a Christian, is not merely an emotion—it is a deliberate way of living, a constant act of imitation of our Lord. Love is seen not just in how we feel, but in how we live, how we give, and how we forgive.

In the first reading, St. Paul lifts up the Christians in Macedonia as an example of this kind of love in action. Despite their own difficulties, they were eager—almost insistent—to share with the believers in Jerusalem who were suffering from famine. Their generosity wasn’t calculated or forced; it flowed from a deep awareness of Christ’s own generous love. Paul compares their selfless giving with Christ’s own self-emptying: “Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor.” This is the heart of Christian generosity—giving not out of abundance, but out of love, and expecting nothing in return.

The Gospel takes us even deeper. Jesus brings us to the heart of his ethical teaching: the command to love and forgive. He boldly reinterprets the Law, overturning a narrow understanding that limited ‘neighbor’ to fellow Jews. In contrast, Jesus insists that love must know no boundaries—not even the boundary between friend and enemy. He reminds us that God sends rain and sunshine on both the good and the bad. That’s divine love—unselective, impartial, unconditional.

This teaching is not easy. To love those who love us back is natural. But to love those who oppose us, hurt us, or seem undeserving—that is supernatural. It requires grace. And Jesus calls us to that higher love, because that is how we become children of our heavenly Father.

Along with love, Jesus speaks of forgiveness. True love forgives. In fact, forgiveness is love in action. If we say we love but hold grudges, that love remains incomplete. Forgiveness, especially when it costs us, is what brings healing and peace. Jesus calls us not only to forgive, but even to pray for those who hurt us. This is the path of the cross, and yet, it is also the path to resurrection, to inner freedom, and to joy.

Dear friends, we often expect results from our good actions—recognition, thanks, or at least fairness. But Jesus teaches us to love and give without expecting return. Our model is not the world’s idea of reward but Christ’s example of generous love. When we give our time, our help, our goods—let it not be for applause, but out of love. That is when our love becomes truly Christian.

Today’s readings challenge us to ask: Do I love only those who love me? Do I forgive only when I feel like it? Do I give only when it is convenient? If we are disciples of Christ, then our answer must go beyond feeling—it must be lived.

Let us pray, then, for the strength to imitate Jesus in his generous love: to love without limits, to give without calculation, and to forgive with a heart full of grace. This is the love that transforms lives. This is the love that builds the Kingdom of God.