Philippians 1:1-11 / Luke 14:1-6
When it comes to thinking about people, our minds have a particular orientation.
Somehow, we are more likely to remember those who have done wrong to us, those who have cheated us, those who owe us money and yet to pay it back.
Yes, these people caused us pain and anger, and the wounds are not yet healed.
And because the bitterness and the resentment against these people are still there, they are probably the people that come to our minds often, and it is not for a good reason.
But in the first reading, the people that St. Paul thinks about often are the elders and the Christian community in Philippi.
He gives thanks to God for them and he prays for them as he remembers how they have helped to spread the Good News.
But of course, St. Paul would have remembered those who had persecuted him and harmed him.
Still, the people that he thinks about are those who spread the Good News, and if he ever thinks about those who did bad things to him, he would probably pray that they will eventually hear the Good News and repent.
In the gospel, Jesus healed a man with dropsy, which is a kind of fluid retention that causes swelling in the various parts of the body.
Thoughts about those people who did wrong to us would only cause anger retention in us and cause our minds and hearts to have painful swellings.
Let us ask Jesus to heal us so that filled with His love, we will always remember the blessings of the good people around us.
And with praise and thanksgiving, we can then pray for those who have done wrong to us.