As Christian disciples of Jesus we are called to be a leader in the name of Jesus. Our Lord made it clear that our leadership needs to be modeled after his ministry. His ministry was that of service, laying down his life for the sake of others. It is a service of unconditional love. That is the only way we become important in the eyes of God. It is not the way of the world, but is the way of the Lord.  Do we have a servant's heart after the heart of Jesus? Even though he was God/Man, he washed the feet of his disciples and said: "As I have done, so you must do."  When we put others ahead of us, when we serve another in love, when we seek the good of others, then we are reflecting the heart of a servant, after the heart of Jesus.

 It is hard for us to really and fully be attentive and comfortable in the present moment of God's grace in our lives.  Some live more in the past. The past is now just memories, not present reality. Some live in fear,  waiting for the next shoe to drop. Some live in the future of what ifs. The future is only known by God. Each moment of our lives is a gift from God to be enjoyed. The wonder and awe of the present moment is rich with meaning. If we keep looking back to the past or too far ahead to the future, we can miss the precious gems of the present moment. God is not the God of the past or of the future, but the God of the present moment. Though he was and will be, God is now. Here is where we can meet him. Here is where he waits for us.

 Seventh Sunday Gospel C

Jesus said to his disciples: “To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. 

· How does the word of Jesus correspond or conflict with the learned behavior taught by the world today?

· The way of a disciple of Jesus must be different than the way of the world. One leads to eternal life and the other the destruction of life and relationships. Which do you want to choose?

· How does God treat us? This is the way we are to treat others. God moves from justice to mercy and love. Do we expect God to treat us in any other way than we treat others?

· Jesus gives specific examples how we are to move from justice to mercy in our relationship to others. How do we measure against them?

For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, and get back the same amount. But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.

· The love Jesus is requiring of us is not an emotional feeling, but a decision to act for the good of the other because God has shown us this kind of love when we were undeserving of it. Is our love for others reflective of this command of Jesus? If not, what will we decide to do?

· If we think Jesus is asking too much of us, view him on the cross and see that he put into action what he asked of us.

· The basis of what we do as disciples is not the way of the world but the way of the Lord. Which way do we choose to follow?

 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give, and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”

· What a sobering thought! The way we treat others is the way we are telling God to treat us. If we love others, forgive others, show kindness to others, then this is how God will judge us. But the opposite is also true. God has set the standard of mercy and love. But if we want the standard to be strict justice and non-forgiveness, so it will be.

· What needs to change in our life as a result of reflection on this passage?

· With Lent coming up what could be a good Lenten resolution as a result of this teaching of Jesus?

 In baptism we were anointed, consecrated and sealed with the Oil of Chrism as a disciple of Jesus Christ. A disciple is one who remains in the company of Jesus, so as to be formed and informed. Having had an encounter with the Lord, the disciple wants to grow in relationship with Jesus. That growth involves reading, reflecting and embracing the words of Scripture in our life style .  In confirmation we were once more anointed, consecrated and sealed with the Oil of Chrism as a witness of Jesus. Having spent time with Jesus to be formed and informed, now we are commissioned by Jesus to go and share the Good News of our salvation and of God's love with others. What kind of disciple/witness are we. As a disciple, we worship the Lord in the Eucharist. As a witness we invite and bring others with us to the celebration of the Eucharist. As a disciple, we study the word of God. As a witness, we invite others to study the word with us. As a disciple, we saw and learned how Jesus dealt with divine appointments. As a witness, we consciously are open to the divine appointments God has for us to share his love with others.

 All is grace. It is so easy for us to forget this truth. It is grace that I exist, that I have been redeemed, that I have been sanctified and anointed, that prayers are answered. The blessings I receive each day are signs of God's favor, not because I am worthy, but because of who God is.  I build upon the grace of God to me. How can I respond to his many favors of love to me? First, be mindful and grateful. Second, be the person you are called to be in the eyes of God. Third, use the grace moments given to you to make a difference in the lives of others. Fourth, let the seeds of grace bear a hundred fold for the glory of God.

 On this, Valentine's day, God desires to restate his personal and real love for each of us. It is easy to read about his love. But sometimes it is hard to allow that love to penetrate the surface of our heart. Maybe it is because we have been hurt before by those who said they loved us or should have loved us. We can't trust God's love because our experience of love is painful not comforting. We have a deep desire to be loved for the person that we are and not for what we do. As much as God loves us, he will not violate our space nor our will. Instead, he patiently knocks at the door of our heart, calling us by name, speaking his tender words of love, while waiting for us to open the door even slightly. He will not go away, because he loves us as his beloved son or daughter. Trust in the desire of your heart. 

 Someone has said: "I am who I am in the eyes of God, nothing more, nothing less."  My identity is not in my career, not in my accomplishments, not defined by others, nor by myself. God gives me my identity and with that my destiny. My identity is in Christ. I am by God's grace an adopted son of God, sharing in his divine life so that I can be with him eternally. As an adopted son of the Father, I am an heir in Christ. My inheritance is not material and temporal, but spiritual and eternal. The pledge and first down payment of my inheritance is the Holy Spirit. The Prodigal son squandered his inheritance; the elder son felt he was owed his inheritance. My response is to accept and live my identity in Christ, so that I can claim the gift of my inheritance as the grace from God that it is.