Homily for Monday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time

Jesus encouraged His disciples to not respond to evil with more evil, but to respond with kindness. The worst human instinct is to react to goodness with malicious intent, as shown by the rejection and Crucifixion of Jesus, who "went about doing good; for God was with Him."[1] The best human instinct is to conquer evil with goodness, which can be seen as a divine impulse — God's own impulse. This was the main characteristic of Jesus Christ. He responded to the evil done to Him with goodness. Even when He was unjustly rejected, He showed His love most fully. He lived and died to conquer evil with goodness.

It is incredibly challenging to remain good when facing evil, to remain loving in the face of hostility, to be faithful even when betrayed, and to be peacemakers in a hostile world. We cannot do it by our own strength alone. We need God’s strength, resources, and Spirit. However, we should not fear failure because God's strength and grace are promised to us. Saint Paul urges us “not to receive the grace of God in vain.”[2] God always graces us, and if we rely on His grace, we can work towards the ideal of overcoming evil with good.

[1] Acts 10:38

[2] 2 Corinthians 6:1