Daily Catholic Reflection: Tuesday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time, Year A.

2 Kings 19:9b - 11.14-21.31-35a.36, 

Psalm 48:2-3ab.3cd-4.10-11, 

Matthew 7:6. 12-14 Full Readings

 The Golden Rule

Today's Gospel presents to us a Golden Rule along with other fundamental teachings like  entering the narrow gate and not profaning the holy. 

The Golden Rule "Do to others whatever you would have them do to you." (Mt 7:12) was a most common teaching among the Jews and the Greeks though it was said and written in the negative way: "Do not do to others what you would not like them to do you." Jesus uses the positive way to present it. However the underlying teaching is the same. What does this golden rule teach us as Christians especially in our way of living and treating others?

Firstly, it teaches us that every person is worthy of respect and treatment like a human being. This means you cannot treat  your brother or sister as if he or she is less or not worthy to be a person, or or as if she or he doesn't share the same dignity with you. Before we act we should ask ourselves, should this action be done to a human being? What if it is done to me, can I appreciate it? Can I withstand it? The answer you give yourself should guide your actions and treatment to the other person. 

Secondly, it teaches to do something to others. Jesus uses a positive version of the golden rule to emphasize that as we live together, we should be of service to others. The negative version is limited in that it stops us from doing, only to sit back and avoid doing anything in case it turns out to be bad or evil to the other person. Jesus' positive version includes even the negative version. He not only tells us to avoid causing problems but also encourages us to serve and support others keeping in mind that when what we do is done to us we will rejoice. This is an essential element of our Christian identity: to love and to serve. 

Therefore, we should not sit back and say for instance, because I don't want to be loved, I will not love others, with a conviction that you are following the golden rule. No. The Golden Rule encourages us to reach out and love and do service to others. This also involves allowing yourself to be served. Sometimes we don't give chance for others to love us and serve us. Allow yourself to be loved by creating a warm atmosphere for people to approach you. Sometimes our attitudes scare people away and we start complaining why we are not loved, not liked and things of a sort. 

The statement of Golden Rule itself means that we should only practice virtues specifically our Christian virtues. It follows therefore that, if we want to be loved, we have to love also, if we want to be forgiven, we have to be forgiving, if we want charity, we have to do charitable works also, if we want to be prayed for, we have also to pray for others, if we want to receive, we have to be giving also and so on. These are virtues of the Kingdom, which will only be done when we find the narrow gate which Jesus talks about in the Gospel.

Happy are those who find the narrow gate and tread in it, this is the gate that leads to the Kingdom. Who are those treading in the narrow gate. As we have seen they are those practicing the values and virtues of the kingdom. Why are those in this narrow road few? Because the world we are living in provides a wider way in which one needs no stress to move on, and it's so-called virtues are not demanding but costly. They look so sweet and with much pleasures that many forget kingdom virtues. Pray that you and I may not be among those treading the wider road.

The wider road is so tempting that if we are not spiritually sound, we will lose all our Christian virtues to the world and thus profaning the holy. Jesus warns us in today's Gospel not to give the holy to the dogs and pearls to the pigs. Let us then strive every day to keep our holiness and practice narrow road or kingdom virtues being guided by golden rule. 

Reflect today on how the golden rule speaks to you. Have you been practicing it or taking it for granted? How are you practicing kingdom virtues and moving in a narrow road? And how are you keeping your holiness daily not to profane it? Pray that the Holy Spirit may continue to lead you on the narrow way. 

Let us pray.

Almighty God, help me to realise daily that my actions have to be based on virtues as I strive to follow the narrow gate. Amen.

Be blessed