HOMILY OF THE 7TH SUNDAY IN THE ORDINARY TIME — YEAR C
HOMILY OF THE 7TH SUNDAY IN THE ORDINARY TIME — YEAR C
HOMILY THEME: OVERCOME YOUR ENEMY AND AGGRESSOR WITH LOVE
BY: Fr. Celestine Muonwe
1 Sam 26:2,7-9,11-13,22-23, 1 Corinthians 15:45-49, Luke 6:27-38
The central theme in today’s readings is the call by God that we should love, not just our friends and neighbours, but also our enemies. This kind of love, which is agape, comes from the fountain love, God the Father, who loved us and gave us His Son, to redeem and save us even when we were sinners and have gone away from Him. (Rom.5:8). God makes His sun rise, and His rain fall on the good and the evil people alike, He loves everyone and sustains everyone of His creatures, even those who hate Him. This type of love is vicarious (from “vicarius”, meaning, substitute, in Lain), that is, an atoning love, whereby someone loves another not out of the good that comes from him, but out of compassion for the sinful and painful state of the beloved. Hence, one participates in the person’s spiritual suffering by understanding and feeling sorry for him in compassion, it is a self-sacrificing love.
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This is the type of love that was seen in the life of king David, who is, in a way, a prefigurement of the love of Christ. Out of sheer hatred, borne out of jealousy and envy, Saul, the then king of Isreal took with him, a large number of soldiers to hunt down a man who had sacrificed his life for his own safety by killing Goliath, and other operations underwent by David for the sake of Isreal’s good. The sin of envy and jealousy lies on very false grounds of reasoning and logic, was it David that made himself successful on his expeditions for Isreal? Why blame David and not blame God who made David successful?
Because Saul finds himself powerless before God, he tries therefore, to change and alter God’s plan by unleashing a vial of hate against the innocent man. David showed him mercy and compassion in two very important ways: he refused to lay his hands on Saul, because he was God’s anointed; therefore, out of his love and reverence for God. Secondly, because God is the only one to judge, to reward and punish, he said: “The Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness.” In other words, the words of St. Paul is appropriate: “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to revenge; I will repay’, says the Lord” (Rom.12:20).
St. Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, calls us to distinguishes between the first man, Adam, who is of the earth and became a living soul after being created by God, and Christ, the last Adam, who became a life giving spirit by the merits of His passion, death and resurrection. Therefore, “just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.” In other words, we are called to resemble and imitate Christ, who was abused during the passion, but never uttered a word of revenge, He was mocked, beaten, and crucified, but His first word on the cross was a word of forgiveness for those who killed Him: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing.” (Lk.23:34). Jesus lived through to His message in the gospel and showed what integrity of life and honest living truly implies.
The contrast between Jesus’ interpretation of the religious tradition of the Jews of His time and the one current at the time is continued in today’s gospel reading. The two injunctions treated in today’s periscope address the way the disciples are to interact with people with whom they share a strained relationship. The first deals with retaliation for an evil perpetrated against them; the second discusses love of enemy.
The policy for an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, known as lex talionis was found as early as the 18th century BCE in Babylon. It was really a moral advance over the common custom of blood vengeance which would exact a price that far exceeded the wrong done. The lex talionis is found in the Old Testament: “If anyone injures another person, whatever he has done shall be done to him. If he breaks a bone, one of his bones shall be broken…” (Lev. 24:19-21). Jesus says that even this more humane form of justice should not be practiced by His followers. In fact, He instructs his disciples to offer no resistance at all when someone tries to take advantage of them.
The disciples are told that if someone insults them, they should return the insult with a blessing. And if anyone strikes them on the right cheek with the back of the hand, they should allow themselves to be injured with the full force of the palm of the hand on the left cheek. There is more in this example than merely striking. Jesus is telling His disciples that they should not retaliate when insulted or abused, but should offer nonviolent resistance in such a situation.
Although Leviticus exhorts the Israelites to love of neighbour (19:18), nowhere are they told to hate their enemy. The final exhortation succinctly sets the standard for life in the Kingdom of Heaven. “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Perfection (teleios) means complete, undivided, grown to full stature. God certainly is complete and undivided, the essence of righteousness and splendor. This is the goal towards which the disciples must strive. It is the standard that makes the interpretation of Jesus so radical.
Some people today in our society believe that when someone offends them and they respond back in the same manner; that there is nothing wrong about it (do me, I do you, man no go vex). But, by this very fact we are rewriting the Golden Rule and saying “Do unto others whatever they have done unto you.” In saying this, we are not encouraging one another to do good; but to be revengeful. This is not to deny the fact that some people live in circumstances that are very threatening, circumstances against which they must protect themselves.
Jesus by saying that we should turn the other cheek when someone slaps us does not mean that we should allow ourselves to be abused. Rather, Jesus is saying that we should not perpetuate the antagonism out of which mistreatment arose. He is not advocating passivity, but he is saying we should not retaliate in kind. Jesus is describing what we call today “active non-violent resistance”. This is the attitude taught by Gandhi and Martin Luther king Jnr. They believed in the basic goodness of all human beings even those who wrong us, since we are created in the image of God. They further believed that the victim’s willingness to suffer rather than retaliate would wear down the aggression of the oppressor. This is precisely what Jesus and the apostles taught: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head” (Rom.12:20). Proverbs 25:22, gave a clearer reason why we should feed our enemies and give them water to drink: “You will make them burn with shame and the Lord will reward you”
Furthermore, Jesus challenges us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. This may seem to be one of the hardest teachings in the New Testament. This is because Jesus turns the table around against the status quo. The normal thing is for people to love their friends, dear ones and neighbours, who would usually reciprocate our love for them. However, for Jesus, “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you, for even sinners love those who love them.” Jesus exhorts us to give to everyone who begs from us, and never care to demand what was taken away from us unjustly. In all, the Golden rule should still be the standard: “And as you wish that men should do to you, do so to them.” In other words, every goodness we expect to receive from others, should also come forth from us.
Jesus’ insistence on the love of one’s enemies and doing good to them is not only spiritual; it is also therapeutic. Why? When people hate their enemies and resent them, they end up hurting themselves far more than they hurt their enemies. One author observes that when we hate our enemies we give them power over us, power over our sleep, power over our blood pressure, power over our health and happiness. It is worthy to note that our enemies would dance for joy if they knew how our hatred tears us apart. Our hatred is not hurting them at all. It only turns our own days and nights into a hellish turmoil.
Hence, we are called to lives of mercy and compassion towards others who are struggling in sin and hopelessness. It is not our duty to judge and condemn them, but our duty to love them, to show them compassion and mercy, so that the righteous Judge will not judge and condemn us as well. We should be conscious of our own sinfulness at all times, and learn to judge others less harshly.
The Lord exhorts us to learn to give, for those who give will always receive from the Lord. Giving is not only about material things, we can give our time, energy, talents to the worship of God, or to the general course of good. Nothing that we give to our enemies and those who may not be able to pay us back that we shall not receive in large measures from the Lord: “For the measure you give will be the measure you will receive back.”
Let us conclude by saying that when we respond with love to those who hurt us, we release love where it is needed most. We stop the chain reaction of evil and put in its place, a chain reaction of love. Hence, St. Paul writing to the Christians of Roman descent will tell us “do not let evil defeat you; instead, conquer evil with good” (Rom. 12:21).
Prayer
May God help us not to seek revenge; rather to replace hatred with love. May the love of Christ urge us to love both our friends and enemies, amen.
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