Detailed homily for the 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C (2)

Detailed homily for the 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

Theme: THE UNIQUE NATURE OF CHRISTIAN LOVE

By: Rev Fr Gerald Muoka

Homily for Sunday February 20 2022

R1 – 1Sam 26:2,7-9,12-13,22-23
R2 – 1Cor 15:45-49
GOSPEL – Luke 6:27-38

Detailed homily for the 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

Theme: THE UNIQUE NATURE OF CHRISTIAN LOVE

By: Rev Fr Gerald Muoka

Homily for Sunday February 20 2022

 

R1 – 1Sam 26:2,7-9,12-13,22-23
R2 – 1Cor 15:45-49
GOSPEL – Luke 6:27-38

One day, a certain monk was praying under a tree beside a river. As he prayed the tide was coming in and the river was rising. Then he noticed a scorpion at the foot of the tree struggling for life as the surging waves tried to drown him. The monk stretched out his hand to pull the scorpion to safety but each time his hand came near, the scorpion tried to sting him. A passer-by saw what was going on and said to the monk: “What are you doing? Don’t you know that it is in the nature of a scorpion to sting?” “Yes,” replied the monk, “And it is in my nature to save others. Must I change my nature because the scorpion refuses to change his? Why should I let the scorpion win?”

Beloved in Christ, the readings of this Sunday’s liturgy challenge us to remain true to the nature of our Christian calling; that seeks to unconditionally love everyone in the spirit of Agape, even our enemies and those who hate us and incite violence, calumny, hurts and assassination of character against us.

This is because, the Christian love is that love that seeks to break the cycle of hatred and distrust by taking that often-formidable first step to love, to seek reconciliation above all else. Seeing beyond hatreds and differences, borders and boundaries, flags and uniforms, languages and cultures, suspicions and unsettled scores is the cutting edge of the Gospel. The relationship we seek with God we must first seek with one another.

However, the first reading which is very dramatic, describes how David, who had the rarest opportunity to lynch his sworn enemy, Saul, refused to pronounce his death warrant; all in the spirit of love and merciful forgiveness. On the contrary, he left revenge and vengeance for God to pronounce in his own way, and at his appropriate time. He heeded God’s word: “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Do not take revenge. Vengeance is mine” (Rom 12: 17-19; Deut 32:35).

The Gospel reading presents us with Jesus’ revolutionary moral teaching in our human relationships, based on the principle of Golden Rule.
Jesus amplifies the golden rule by giving additional commands for us to follow as God’s children, by explaining the unique nature of Christian love: “Love your enemies…Do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you and pray for those who maltreat you.”

*THE UNIQUENESS NATURE OF CHRISTIAN LOVE*

A certain author defined Christians as those who love their enemies. This indicates that the nature of Christian love is unique and consequently differs from that of most religions. The Christian love is operative on three major principles:

(i) *THE PRINCIPLE OF UNCONDITIONAL AGAPE*

It spurs us to love everyone, even our enemies and those who hate and hurt us in an unconditional style.
Agape is the love that cares deeply for others simply because they are created in God’s image, and wishes them well because that is what God wishes.

(ii) *THE PRINCIPLE OF GOLDEN RULE*

The Christian love embraces the principle of golden rule that states, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” The Golden rule principles does not only exhort us to treat our enemies fairly, it equally propels us to show sensitivity to the feelings and needs of others.

(iii) *THE PRINCIPLE OF MERCIFUL FORGIVENESS*

Christian love is that kind of love that seeks graceful and merciful  forgiveness instead of harboring revenge and planning retaliation.

Furthermore, today’s readings, especially the Gospel passage contain four commands of Jesus: love, forgive, do good, and pray. They specify the kind of love that the Christian follower is expected to show toward an enemy. The ‘enemy’ is one who injures hates or rejects the Christian.

(a) *LOVE YOUR ENEMIES*

This command proposes a course of action that is contrary to human nature. Jesus invites those who follow him to repudiate their natural inclinations and instead follow his example and the example of the heavenly Father.

(b) *OFFER YOUR OTHER CHEEK TO THE ONE WHO STRIKES YOU.*

This injunction cuts through the old principle of retaliation (Ex 21:24; Lev 24:20; Dt 19:21-30). Jesus is not saying that we should allow
ourselves to be abused or killed! What are the challenges Jesus gives us in this command to “turn the other cheek”? He challenges us to forgive others totally and completely, which means letting go of any and every grudge. He also challenges us not to seek vengeance. In addition, he wants us to be patient with the shortcomings of others and to love everyone, even our enemies.

(c) *FORGIVE AND YOU WILL BE FORGIVEN. BLESS THOSE WHO CURSE YOU, PRAY FOR THOSE WHO ABUSE YOU*

This message might have sounded very strange to the Jews, who were familiar with a God who was merciful to his own people and vengeful against their enemies, as pictured in Psalms 18. Jesus therefore, calls us to forgive, to be merciful and not to retaliate. But we cannot achieve this level of love and forgiveness by ourselves. We need the power of God working through us by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

(d) *DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU*

Christian morality consists not in merely refraining from evil, but in actively doing good, not only to those who are friends, but to those who hate us or do evil against us. In other words, Jesus expects us to rise above our human instincts and imitate the goodness and generosity of God. The observance of the golden rule makes us like God whose love and mercy embrace saints and sinners alike.

*LESSONS FROM THE READINGS*

(1) Living out the Golden Rule makes us human and true followers of Christ.

(2) Forgiveness (paying back with love) is the highest form of evangelization.

(3) A true Christian is one who loves his enemies and prays for his persecutors (Forgive them for they do not know what they are doing… Lk 23:34).

(4) Revenge is an action of the weak. Great and strong people forgive instead.

(5) To be a Christian is to love, to love is to forgive, to forgive is to endure, to endure is to be a fool for Christ’s sake (1Cor 4:10).

Finally, Sacrates is often remembered as the man who never became angry. One of the virtues of Socrates was that he never lost his temper nor became angry. His wife, Xantippe was a disagreeable type but Socrates never got angry when she found fault with him. One day, Xantippe scolded Socrates more loudly than usual and Socrates left the house so that he would not have to listen to the sound of her anger. When Xantippe seized a bucket of water and threw it over his head, Socrates was dripping wet but did not get mad. He said quietly, “After Xantippe thunders, rain may be expected!”

Beloved, as the rains and thunder of misunderstanding and enmity toss us about, remember like Socrates, that it is at such moment that we manifest our unique Christian virtue of merciful love and forgiveness.

*BENEDICTION*
MAY THE HOLY SPIRIT REMOVE EVERY STONY HEART THAT IMPEDES US FROM LIVING OUT THE UNIQUE NATURE OF OUR CHRISTIAN CALLING OF LOVING AS CHRIST LOVED (In 15:12).

*GOD BLESS YOU!*
*HAPPY SUNDAY!*

_FR GERALD MUOKA._

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