Roger J. Landry
National Director, The Pontifical Mission Societies
Daily Reflection for September 11, 2025
Here is the video of today’s reflection.
The YouTube generated transcript for today’s reflection is:
I’m Monsignor Roger Landry, National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies here on the grounds of St. Rafael’s Parish in St. Petersburg. Today is September 11th and as we remember the awful events of 24 years ago today in Manhattan and Shanksville and the Pentagon, we are challenged by the Lord Jesus in today’s gospel to respond to the events like God responds.
Ultimately, Jesus says he wants us to be merciful as our Heavenly Father is merciful, who lets his sun shine on the good and the bad and his rain fall on the just and the unjust. And so he tells us what that fatherly behavior is going to be like. He calls us to love even our enemies and do good to those who persecute us. On September 11th, it’s easy for us to remember those who made themselves our enemies.
As Christians, we never look for enemies, but we’re nevertheless given adversaries, those who approach us as their enemies in life. But the response that Christ is asking of us is not to descend to their level, but to raise ourselves up to God’s level, to treat them as God himself loves them. And that is what makes Christianity unique. It’s not just that we try to do to others what they do to us. It’s that we try to treat them as God has treated us. The ultimate criterion of all Christian morality of Jesus’s words from the last supper, “love one another not as they have loved you, but love one another as I have loved you.” And in today’s gospel, Jesus tells us straight out, if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?
Even the pagans do that much. But he calls us to love even those who have made themselves our enemies and do good to them. This is something that God gives us his help to do. This is something that Jesus himself was doing as he was giving his life for us on Calvary, forgiving all of us for the sins that led to his crucifixion. And he calls us to follow him in this pattern of love. At the end of today’s gospel, Jesus tells us, “Stop judging and we won’t be judged. For the measure with which we measure will be measured out to us.”
Jesus came into the world to give us his measure, the measure of divine love. He’s come to give us his help so that we might live up to that measure. And then he promises us that if we measure ourselves by that standard and seek to live by it, that he will measure that back to us. And forgiving others, we too will be forgiven. Pope Francis used to have a beautiful image about the human heart. He said it had systolic and diastolic functions. And unless it’s pumping out mercy, it’s dead to receive God’s mercy. And that’s one of the reasons why Jesus calls us to measure out so that we might receive by that measure. Let’s respond to his help to do so today. God bless you.
The Gospel reading on which the reflection was based was:
Gospel
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.
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.
Be merciful, just as also 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.”