Junior School Reflection | Matthew 5: 43-48, 11th Tuesday in Ordinary Time, Year A, 2026
Does anybody here know a car mechanic? Do you know what they do as a job? If you answered “fixing cars,” you’ve nailed it.
What about the word engineer? Who knows any engineers? What do they do? They are like builders who use their knowledge to design and create things that are structurally and mechanically sound.
What about a counsellor? Who knows what they do? They help us when we feel down so that we can feel stronger, safer and happier.
So: car mechanics fix vehicles; engineers build and fix structures; and counsellors help care for our hearts when we are struggling. These people like to fix things when they are broken, and they do their best to make them good again.
Earlier in the year, we learnt about prayer. We learnt that prayer requires simplicity of heart, focused attention, and praying to God and for others with love. In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us to pray for others, especially for those who don’t like us very much.
Why do you think Jesus wants us to pray for those who don’t like us?
In Jesus’ teaching today, he shows that praying for those who don’t like us is a sign of spiritual growth and heading towards perfection. “Perfection” is not about being flawless. It means being drawn into God’s own holiness and mercy and learning to love like the Father with forgiving hearts and kindness, even when it’s hard, and not giving up on others.
But setting that aside, why does Jesus ask us to pray for others?
When we respond to someone who hates us with hatred, it does nothing to heal the relationship. It only makes it worse. For example, if someone says something mean to you at school and you repeat something mean back, an argument is likely to unfold. There is this saying, “love builds on love.” It’s the same with hate: “hate builds on hate.” When we hate someone for hating you, it only makes things worse for them, and for us, and for everyone around us. It affects others too.
For example, if you had a
mutual friend, and you started to hate the other person, that friend may feel
like they have to pick sides, or they may distance themselves.
And when parents learn that their child has a negative relationship with another person, it affects them too; it makes them feel sad and worried. So we can see that hate builds on hate. It does not fix the problem.
So Jesus’ command to pray for those who hate you is really asking us to show them love. Prayer is an act of love – like asking God for the strength to show kindness to someone even when we don’t feel like it. When we pray to God the Father, we show love for him, because we want to enter into relationship with him through prayer. Praying for those who don’t like us is that same kind of love: asking God for the strength to have our heart’s changed.
Praying for those who hate us helps our hearts grow so we can say “I forgive you” instead of staying angry all day, just like God who always gives us another chance. It doesn’t mean the person who does not like you will definitely accept your apology or forgive immediately. What matters is that you are willing and prepared to make a difference in the relationship, by being the first to say sorry, or choosing to be kind the next time you see them. That’s a good start. It means hate no longer has to keep building on itself; it can begin building on love instead, offering a small glimmer of hope.
Jesus knows we need each other, not just for friendship’s sake, but for our happiness too. He wants us to be happy, and we can only truly be happy when our relationships with friends, teachers, and family are healthy, when we are kind to each other, include others, and don’t leave people out. This is why Jesus calls us to pray for those who hurt us in any way.
In another Gospel, Jesus teaches us that God the Father is always working to restore. What do you think he is doing behind the scenes? He is working to bring healing and forgiveness, helping us say sorry, forgive each other, and become friends again. Just like the Father, we are invited today to copy that same forgiveness, by letting go of anger, and choosing to make peace. Since we are made in the image and likeness of God, who forgives and gives life to all, Jesus can say: “Be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect” – meaning become holy by learning to love like God.
Ask yourself: “How does it feel to carry all that hate?” I’m sure it would feel heavy – like carrying a big weight inside you all day, trapped, and almost like being in a spiritual prison. That sounds like someone who needs a counsellor. So make peace with the person who hates you, so you can let go and be free again.
Earlier I asked the question: “What does a mechanic do?” And you responded – hands in the air – signalling they fix cars. I’m not a mechanic, but I’ve taken my car in for many repairs. It gets fixed, then it breaks down again, then it gets fixed again, something wasn’t fixed quite right – goes back again. It can feel like a cycle of breaking and repairing. Being made holy is just like that. We never reach the fullness of holiness in this life, but it remains the goal. When we fall, we get up again and keep going.
A writer I read recently described Matthew’s perspective can be likened to an “asymptotic goal.” That’s a complicated phrase so here’s the idea in simple terms. An asymptote is a goal you keep getting closer to but never fully reach. For you younger students, a simple example might be this: Imagine seeing a rainbow in the sky. You can walk towards it and it looks like you’re getting closer and closer but you never quite reach it in the end. For you more senior students, it’s like a maths sequence: repeatedly halving a number. It keeps getting smaller and smaller, but you never reach zero, yet you always progress towards it. That’s the idea of growing in God’s love in your life.
Today, Jesus teaches us to
forgive those who hurt us by keeping them in prayer. As we pray for them, we
are progressing toward being more loving human beings by choosing kindness, forgiving
others, and trying again when we get it wrong. Not by pretending everything is
fine, but by letting love keep growing inside us.
FURTHER READING
For more lessons on prayer for students, see the links below:
- Praying like Jesus did: simply and from the heart
- Our undivided attention: a lesson from Jesus for students on how to pray
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