Fr Paul Gooley reads from the Gospel of Luke (6:27-38) in which Jesus says, ‘Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who treat you badly’.

Fr Paul says Luke’s version of the Beatitudes puts the emphasis not on Christian attitudes, as Matthew’s version does, but on the blessing on those in real, dire need.

Now Luke continues this with our duty to respond to those in need, even if they are hostile, even if they hate us. There must be no calculation whether we will get back money or property lent, no limit to how much we lend or give. At first it seems that Luke is concerned only with money, and indeed he is so concerned, for he is always warning of the danger of possessions and the need to use them for those who have none.

Luke is proclaiming Christ’s Good News to a more affluent society than Mark or Matthew, and places all the more emphasis on the danger of wealth. But after dealing with money Luke goes on to other acts of generosity. We must not judge but must forgive in order to obtain forgiveness. Most of all, we must be compassionate.

Whereas Matthew ends his instructions here with the general, ‘Be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect’, Luke focuses on compassion, ‘Be compassionate just as your Father is compassionate’. It is an affair of the heart: we must be emotionally involved with those in need.

For our reflection today, Fr Paul invites us to consider this Gospel challenge, ‘How can I help those in need?’