"Do to others as you would have them do to you."
The Word: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/022419.cfm
Luke 6: 27-38
Our first reading this Sunday from the book of Samuel leaves us
perhaps with mixed feelings. David had a
golden opportunity to gain one up on his enemy Saul by attacking Saul while he
slept – but he doesn’t do that. David
resists the temptation from his companion Abishai who wanted to nail Saul “with
one thrust of the spear” when they find him sleeping. David resists and takes the non-violent
approach as he acknowledges King Saul as the “Lord’s Anointed.” While that may
not be the best military strategy it certainly highlights the core moral
teaching of Jesus we hear in the Gospel from Luke today.
While David’s resistance was a momentary response, Jesus
invites his disciples to make such behavior our way of living. For David’s
response raised him to a higher level than violence for violence. He rose above evil with charity. David was
hardly perfect and had done evil himself blinded by lust for Bathsheba and a
murderous plot of her husband but such past sin was repented and rejected and he
chose the better part with Saul.
The Scriptures this Sunday continue for us Luke's version of
Jesus' famed Sermon on the Mount but in his case, the Sermon on the plain. For Luke, as we heard last Sunday, locates
Jesus on a level stretch as he comes down from the heights to embrace the
condition of the poor and make it his own.
Nonetheless, whether it be literary license in order to emphasize a
Gospel theme or not, the core teachings of both locations is the same. And this Sunday, the fundamental call to
non-violence and love of enemies is given a prime place in Jesus' sermon to the
crowds gathered to hear him.
Many times we feel guilty about our anger. We may confess the natural emotion of anger
as sinful. But it's right to acknowledge that anger is normal. There is no sin in emotion. It's normal to feel joyful, angry, sad,
jealous, or an attraction to things and others, etc. Emotions are emotions and they in and of
themselves have no morality. Our natural
anger rises in the face of injustice, rejection, or being treated unfairly but
that's just the feeling. We may sense a
physical attraction to a person, no priest is immune from such either, but the
point I make is that this is normal and human. It means we are alive! It's
built into our brain and DNA. And
certainly, we may feel we want to seek revenge against another person and that
they don't deserve neither our forgiveness or certainly not our love for what
they did to me or to another. This is
all the stuff of normal life. But it is just emotion based.
What Jesus speaks of are not emotions but rather actions and
reactions. Did Gandhi feel anger? Did Dr. Martin Luther King feel like
returning violence for violence? I
wonder if St. Teresa of Calcutta ever felt jealous, angry, or tempted to pride.
I would guess they did but did they follow through, act upon their
feelings? No, and that is the
point. To recognize our natural emotions
as normal but we resist acting upon them. In there lies virtue.
I remember hearing a story of the famed Cure of Ars, the
extraordinary parish priest in 18th century France whose fame spread
quickly as a confessor and holy pastor.
The thousands who came to see him would jostle and push in the crowds
around him and at times he would recognize his rising aggravation. He once said that he kept a handkerchief in
his pocket and rather than speak angrily at a soul who would annoy him, he
would squeeze that handkerchief very tightly in his hand discreetly and direct
his negative energy into that cloth.
Well, it apparently worked!
Rather than seek retribution and put gas on the fire as it were
simply to make myself feel justified I will instead offer a peaceful and
non-violent response. I will raise
myself to a higher level of behavior and instead seek to reconcile or at least
to offer love in the form of peaceful non-violent resistance and forgiveness.
Sin is in behavior and not in normal emotion.
Of course plotting and scheming a retaliation is sinful since the intent
is to carry through. We are then acting upon our potentially destructive
feelings by our thoughts and scheming.
We find sin in our thoughts, our words, and our deeds but not in our
natural emotions. "I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and
sisters, that I have sinned in my thoughts, and in my words, in what I have
done and in what I have failed to do . . ."
Bishop Robert Barron speaks of gift giving as a model for
Christian love. Yet, when we gift
someone, we naturally expect some sort of return: another gift, a “thank you” note, something
even better than what I gave.
However, Jesus teaching demands far more. And God, in Christ, is the ultimate model for
what this means; to give gratuitously without expecting return. While giving in this way is in some way
contrary to our natural inclination we are called as disciples of Jesus to
model ourselves after him; after how God has given himself to us. If we love only those who love us big
deal. Jesus teaches: “Even sinners do the same.” So we are to be different and to make a
difference.
“Lend expecting nothing back . . . love your
enemies, do good to them . . . stop judging, stop condemning, forgive, give . .
. for the measure with which you measure will in return be measured be measured
out to you.” Now there in brief short phrases and
words is an ideal examination of conscience before confession. It will surely bring out our personal
stinginess, jealousy, pride, and prejudice.
The whole sacramental system of our Church is gratuitous gift and the
holy Eucharist is the greatest of all – Christ himself given to us.
While the world might consider such behavior foolish imagine
the witness it gives to the call towards love rather than hate, forgiveness
rather than retribution, peaceful non-violence rather than active violence.
May we not tire of doing what is right and reach beyond our
natural limitations but only by God’s grace given as gift out of love.
Grant, we pray, almighty God,
that, always pondering spiritual things,
we may carry out in both word and deed
that which is pleasing to you.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever.
(Collect of Sunday)
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