LIVE IT TODAY: Tuesday, June 16, 2026
You are never more like Me than when you choose love over resentment, mercy over revenge, and prayer over bitterness.
LIVE IT TODAY: Tuesday, June 16, 2026
A GREAT WAY TO BEGIN TODAY!
SUBSCRIBE FREE: LiveITToday.us
LISTEN NOW: Live IT Today Podcast A new episode drops every Saturday.
GOD’S DECLARATION TO YOU TODAY
You are never more like Me than when you choose love over resentment, mercy over revenge, and prayer over bitterness.
INVOCATION
Come, Holy Spirit! Through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother Mary, open my heart to hear and receive all that You desire for me. Draw me ever more deeply into the Love and Life of the Blessed Trinity!
GOSPEL | Matthew 5:43-48
Jesus said to his disciples:
"You have heard that it was said,
You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
But I say to you, love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your heavenly Father,
for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,
and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?
Do not the tax collectors do the same?
And if you greet your brothers only,
what is unusual about that?
Do not the pagans do the same?
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect."
EVERY DAY QUESTION
What struck you? Challenged you? Inspired you? What questions did it raise?
GOING DEEPER
Loving those who love us is natural. Loving those who wound us is supernatural.
Who is the most difficult person in your life to love right now?
Jesus saves perhaps His most radical teaching for today’s Gospel. Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you. At first glance, it seems impossible. Everything within us wants justice, vindication, and repayment. When someone hurts us, our instinct is often to withdraw, retaliate, criticize, or simply write them off. Yet Jesus invites us into a completely different way of living.
Notice that He does not merely say, “Tolerate your enemies” or “Avoid taking revenge.” He says, “Love them.” The Greek word used here is agape—the self-giving love that seeks another’s good regardless of what is received in return. This kind of love is not based upon feelings. It is a decision rooted in God’s grace.
Jesus points to the Father Himself as the model. The sun rises on both the good and the bad. Rain falls on both the just and the unjust. God’s love is not earned. It is given. As His children, we are called to reflect that same generosity. The Christian life is not about loving people because they deserve it. It is about loving people because God loves them.
This does not mean approving harmful behavior or abandoning healthy boundaries. Forgiveness is not the same as trust, and love is not the same as enabling. Yet Christ calls us to reject hatred, refuse bitterness, and pray for those who have hurt us. Why? Because resentment keeps us chained to the very wounds God desires to heal.
One of the clearest signs of spiritual maturity is the ability to pray sincerely for someone who has caused us pain. Not because they have earned our goodwill, but because we have received mercy ourselves. The Cross stands as the ultimate example. Even while being crucified, Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them.” Love triumphed where hatred expected victory.
This Gospel speaks directly to family life. Every family eventually experiences hurt, misunderstanding, disappointment, and conflict. The strongest families are not those without wounds but those willing to practice mercy. Build saint-forming homes by praying for difficult people, extending forgiveness generously, and refusing to allow bitterness to take root. Pray over your spouse and children by name. Call daily upon the Holy Spirit. Ask Him to help your family love not only when it is easy, but especially when it is difficult.
Jesus concludes with a breathtaking invitation: “Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” The word points toward completeness, maturity, and fullness of love. In other words, become like your Father. Love as He loves.
“Christ died out of love for us, while we were still ‘enemies.’ The Lord asks us to love as he does, even our enemies.” (CCC 1825)
LIFE APPLICATION QUESTIONS
In My Heart: Who do I most need to forgive, pray for, or release to God’s mercy?
In My Home: Is there a strained relationship in my family that needs healing, understanding, or reconciliation?
In My World: How can I respond differently to someone who frustrates, opposes, or hurts me?
FAMILY LIVE IT
Make some time today to gather together and, going around, share a time when someone showed you mercy that you did not deserve.
Then pray over each person by name. Ask God to help them forgive freely, love courageously, and reject bitterness. Pray that they grow in compassion, receive healing for past wounds, and become reflections of the Father’s love.
Daily Challenge: Pray sincerely today for one person you find difficult to love.
DAILY PARENT & GRANDPARENT BLESSING
LORD JESUS CHRIST, let Your holy anointing be upon each of our children, grandchildren, and godchildren this day and week, including all to whom they are called in vocation, and all future generations! In Your Sacred Name we claim them for You! We renounce all whispers, lies, and influences of the Enemy! We pray right now that each know Your loving Presence, be forged in virtue, and be flooded with an abundance of Your Holy Spirit to live fully their identity and mission in You now and through all eternity, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother! Amen.
PARENT BLESSING PROJECT: bit.ly/ParentBlessing
GOING VERTICAL
“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
Just as the vertical beam upholds the horizontal beam of the Cross, so too does undistracted, dedicated daily turning to God as our lifeblood uphold and strengthen every part of life. Start with just three minutes. Wait patiently for the breakthrough beyond the noise. Let Him speak.
ENTER THE RIDE OF A LIFETIME: LifeTimeRide.com
Listen to the moving song, Ride Of A Lifetime:
Spotify | Apple | Other
TODAY’S SPONSORSHIP
Sponsored by the St. Thomas Aquinas Classical Academy, a non-diocesan K-12 school opening this Fall in Toledo, Ohio. Find out more: STAClassical.org | Email: Build@STAClassical.org
Built by TheStoryForge.us, committed to organizational excellence.
WE WANT TO PRAY FOR YOU!
Please share your prayer intentions in the comments at LiveITToday.us