What causes feelings of revenge to enter into me?

 
Reading: When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” Luke 9:54.
 
Good morning, happy Tuesday, and many blessings my dear family.
 
Today’s Gospel (Luke 9:51-56) reading is the revelation of Jesus’s crucifixion and death. Jesus knew his arrest and death were likely, yet he held fast to his decision to travel to Jerusalem. He knew it was likely that he would be arrested. He also suspected that he might even die. Can you imagine the storm of emotions that must have been whirling around in Jesus’s mind and heart? Yet he decided to make the journey to Jerusalem!

Throughout the Gospels we see evidence of Jesus’s faith and trust in God. Today’s reading is a clear example of the depth of trust Jesus had in God. Do we have such faith? I hope so. We have to nurture our faith and trust in God each and every day! This creates a foundation and a relationship with God that will support and sustain us whenever we are in need. Today and every day let’s ask Jesus to deepen our trust and faith in him!
 
This passage indicates the hostility between Jews and Samaritans, which was strong in Jesus' time. However, the disciples’ way of dealing with the issue and the Lord’s way differ greatly. The disciples were furious when they were not received in the village of the Samaritans and wanted revenge. Jesus said no.
 
The disciples thought, ‘If only everybody were like us,’ as they asked Jesus to teach a lesson to the obstinate Samaritans. Even as he had set his face to Jerusalem, Jesus recognized how his followers did not understand his heart. Help me, Jesus, to follow you in humility, to seek your way. Let the logic of my head be tempered by the compassion of your heart.
 
James and John are restless, and feel: what is the use of having power if you do not use it on those who reject you? They put words on the angry, vengeful feelings that often stir in us when confronted with wickedness: /Lock them up. Shoot them. Bring back corporal punishment. That is not your spirit, Lord. You knew the wickedness that awaited you in Jerusalem, but you set your face to meet it.
 
In my self-reflection I’m asking: What causes feelings of revenge to enter into me? Do I sometimes feel a desire for revenge on some person, or some group, with whom I cannot resolve my differences? Could I place those feelings before the Lord in silence and pray to become more like Christ in my attitudes? Are there groups you have difficulty treating as neighbors? Reflect on them in the light of the Lord’s teaching and example. Discuss the issue with him.
 
And in my prayer for today I’m saying: Lord, when I am rejected, I can be consumed with feelings of anger or revenge. Do not let me give in to these feelings. Instead let me turn away and move on as you do.
 
Blessings,

Fr. Luis+