Shane Hyland, Leader of School Evangelisation at St Joseph’s Regional College presents our Gospel reflections this week.

Today, Shane reads from the Gospel of Matthew (5: 38-42) which continues with Jesus says, ‘Give to anyone who asks, and if anyone wants to borrow do not turn away’.

Shane says there are many times in the Gospel where are shown the lavish generosity of God. In the Good Samaritan story, the Samaritan man anoints the wounds of the man who was injured with expensive oil; he pays for an extended stay in accommodation for him. We see Mary Magdalene anointing the feet of Jesus with an expensive oil; she does this out of her lavish generosity upon meeting our Lord.

In the reading today, Shane notes, we hear about the ‘eye for an eye’ and ‘tooth for tooth’ but Jesus offers the antithesis to that idea saying that if anyone hits you on the right cheek offer him the other as well. If a man takes you to law for your tunic, let him also have your cloak. If anyone orders you to go one mile, go two miles with him. If anyone wants to borrow something do not turn them away.

Shane says, if someone hits you it is very difficult to other them the other cheek. If you go to court and somebody sues you, do you give them everything you have? It is a hard teaching.

We are called to lavishly generous, especially with those who are less fortunate than us. So, we pray today to be able to give generously just as God gives us in the Gospels..