Monday after the Fourth Sunday after Trinity Sunday

5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

Our Lord Jesus tells us that in order to be sons of our Father in heaven, we must love our enemies, bless those who curse us, do good to those who hate us, and pray for those who spitefully use us and persecute us. Sadly, this is an impossibility for us; just as it is impossible to “be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” There was only one Son of the heavenly Father who was perfect, who was without sin, who loved His enemies, blessed those who cursed Him, did good to those who hated Him, and prayed for all those who spitefully used Him and persecuted Him. This Son was the Only-begotten Son of the heavenly Father who came down from heaven to bear our flesh.

Through our faith in this perfect, sinless, and holy Son of the heavenly Father, we are made sons of the Father. On account of faith the heavenly Father adopts us as sons. Through the working of the Holy Ghost, who created this faith in us, we are now sanctified, forgiven, renewed, and preserved steadfast through faith in the Son of God. Through His work we shall be made perfect. This work has been begun in us through the waters of Holy Baptism. It shall be brought to completion in the Day of the Lord when He calls all men from their graves, and gives eternal salvation to all those who clung to His perfect fulfillment of the Law and His sacrifice for us on the tree of the holy cross.

Prayer: Grant, O Lord, we beseech Thee, that the course of this world may be so peaceably ordered by Thy governance, that Thy Church may joyfully serve Thee in all godly quietness; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.