Commentary on the Gospel of
“Do good anyway!”, says Mother, St. Teresa of Kalkota
“One good turn,” they say, “deserves another!” On the contrary, the prophet Jeremiah like a proto-type of Jesus the Christ is experiencing the direct opposite. Oh, how painful it is when one has every good intention, exhibits it but the response turns out to be the contrary! Each of us is a product of his or her background, for no one speaks from nowhere. Our spontaneous responses result from what we had internalized. Jeremiah draws from the good in him, he intercedes for the people, stands before God on their behalf! But they have a completely different mindset towards him. Instead they want him dead! Notwithstanding, he does not opt for revenge; does not begin to scheme his own evil plot or pray to God to retaliate on his behalf, instead he turns to God once again in prayer. This attitude comes out more clearly in the experiences of Jesus Christ.
In today’s gospel reading, even though Jesus has come to serve and not to be served, he points out that what awaits him in Jerusalem is repaying of good with evil, worse still leading to his death! They will lead him through the passion experience of mockery, scourging, crucifixion and his consequent death. He who has come not to abolish the law and prophet, but to fulfill them, goes beyond Jeremiah’s complaining to God: he prays that they be forgiven! What happens when you feel hurt, betrayed, repaid with evil deed for the good done? What do you carry within you from where you draw your responses? It does good to us when we cultivate the habit of refreshing ourselves with positives thoughts and emotional energies. Wearing them like clothes, at moments of suddenly responses, they spontaneously display themselves. Lord Jesus, you are spontaneous in doing good, in your kindness grant us the grace to cultivate the same, amen.
