Prayer of the Day
Daily Prayer
June 16th, 2014The Gospel readings for this week are a continuation of the Sermon on the Mount. God’s purpose behind this law was an expression of mercy. The law of retaliation was ‘an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.’ These laws were given to limit the vengeance and help the law court to administer punishment that was neither too strict nor too lenient. Jesus urges his followers to forego even the limited retaliation allowed by the Old Testament and thus to interrupt the whole cycle of revenge. Some people, however, were using this phrase to justify their vendetta against others. Jesus begins each expression of the law with the words: “You have heard… but I say to you…
People still try to excuse their acts of revenge by saying, “I was just doing to him what he did to me.” When we are wronged, often our first reaction is to ‘get even’. Our desire should not be to keep score, but to love and forgive. This is not natural – it is supernatural. Only God can give us the strength to love as He does. Instead of planning vengeance, pray for those who hurt you.