Another “totally out of context moment” brought to you by someone with an agenda.
“43-45 You have heard that it used to be said, You shall love your neighbour, and hate your enemy, but I tell you, Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Heavenly Father. For he makes the sun rise upon evil men as well as good, and he sends his rain upon honest and dishonest men alike.
46-48 For if you love only those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even tax-collectors do that! And if you exchange greetings only with your own circle, are you doing anything exceptional? Even the pagans do that much. No, you are to be perfect, like your Heavenly Father.”
In Matt 5, Jesus is showing that a superficial obedience to the Law is insufficient because the Law, correctly understood, goes so much further than ANY man can achieve.
It sets the foundation for what Paul wrote:
“No man can justify himself before God by a perfect performance of the Law s demands indeed it is the straight-edge of the Law that shows us how crooked we are.
But now we are seeing the righteousness of God declared quite apart from the Law (though amply testified to by both Law and Prophets) it is a righteousness imparted to, and operating in, all who have faith in Jesus Christ. (For there is no distinction to be made anywhere: everyone has sinned, everyone falls short of the beauty of God s plan.)
Under this divine system a man who has faith is now freely acquitted in the eyes of God by his generous dealing in the redemptive act of Jesus Christ. God has appointed him as the means of propitiation, a propitiation accomplished by the shedding of his blood, to be received and made effective in ourselves by faith.”
It is the Blood of the Lamb that cleans us, not God torturing those who believe and have already been made clean. “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” - Heb 10
Notice the tense: not “He will perfect”, but “He HAS perfectED”. Think about it.
What makes you think Msgr. Pope or anyone familiar with the teachings of the Holy Church disagrees with that?
AMEN!
Well said.