Homily Feb.20, 2022

Readings: 1 Sam 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23; 1 Cor 15:45-49; Luke 6:27-38

Wait ‘til I get my hands on him or her! How many times have we said or heard something similar?  Obviously, what we mean by those words, and what gets us to say them is anger. When somebody has wronged us or hurt us, we usually have only one thing on our mind --- getting even- ‘an eye for an eye’.  On the surface, it makes perfect sense; it is almost a kind of survival instinct that seems to be hard-wired in us. That is why what Jesus said to his disciples in today’s Gospel reading must have shocked his listeners.

What did Jesus say? Love your enemies…!  Bless those who curse you….! Offer the other cheek….!. Give to everyone who asks….! Be merciful! Stop judging….! Stop condemning….! Forgive…...! Is this another instance of our Lord Jesus expecting and demanding too much of us? 

The Church, in its wisdom pairs this Sunday’s Gospel passage with the passage we just heard in our First Reading from the First Book of Samuel. It is a great little story. Saul has been pursuing David, trying to kill him. And one night, David sneaks into Saul’s camp, and walks right up to the sleeping Saul. This is his chance. This is his opportunity to do to Saul what Saul was trying to do to David. Yet, he doesn’t do that. He simply steals Saul’s spear and water jug --- thereby letting Saul know that he could have killed him but chose not to. This story gives us a concrete example of what Jesus was talking about. This is what radical mercy looks like. In the ancient world, doing what David did would have been unthinkable. Yet, he did it anyway ---despite what his initial instinct might have been. David paused and contemplated his choices and finally chose the right path, he chose the holy-path, the God-like path.

Moral Theologians speak of two types of happiness: morality of happiness and morality of obligation. As Christians, we act because we find happiness in living as God calls us to live. We find joy in following Jesus’s command to love our enemies and do good to those who hate us because we know that is how we grow in relationship with God and others. The Christian life is not about following a strict set of rules because we have to. The Christian life is about making choices because they bring us joy and ultimate fulfillment. Jesus does not ask his disciples to fall in love with their enemies-that would be wholly unrealistic. Rather, the followers of Jesus are challenged to be determined about their enemy’s welfare, to be stubbornly gracious, and to refuse to pay back violence with violence. Hatred can be defeated only by love; injury can be healed only by forgiveness and evil can be controlled only by goodness. That may not reflect conventional wisdom, but it is Jesus’ wisdom in action. It was also David’s response to King Saul’s aggression. 

Dear friends, our reluctance to forgive or our reluctance to show mercy does not only apply to the really big stuff, the serious situations in which we are wronged or hurt in a grave way. No, the truth is, many of us, even have trouble living this way when it comes to the little things, the insignificant and tiny things of absolutely no consequence. Someone cuts us off on the road --- we race ahead and look for an opportunity to cut them off. Someone doesn’t invite us to a party with our mutual friends --- we leave them off the list for our next party. You get the idea. And each of these presents an opportunity. In a sense, we are like David standing over Saul --- wondering what to do. Will we walk away? Will we show mercy? Will we forgive or will we make a different choice?

In the Lord’s Prayer, we ask God to forgive us on one condition, that we will forgive others in our turn. Certainly, there is a proven power in forgiveness, mercy and love. Perhaps this week, reflect on a time when you experienced mercy. How did it feel to be forgiven and treated with kindness? Is there someone in your life who is difficult to love and to forgive?  Pray for the wisdom and insight to act like Jesus. Pray for the grace to love the unlovable, to forgive the unforgivable and to remember in prayer those we would rather forget!