DOCTRINE AND FAITH
(1Samuel 26,2. 7-9.12-13.22-23; 1 Corinthians 15,45-49; Luke 6,27-38; 7th Sunday of Year C, 2019)
The story of the first reading contrasts the respect in which David held the anointed of the Lord with the murderous intent of Saul. Although David was the one hunted, Saul was the one caught. The king had an army of three thousand men, while David had one companion. It is clear that God had delivered Saul into David's hand. Still, David did not raise his hand against the king. The king's spear was part of the royal regalia. It was more than a weapon. It was a sign of royal rank. When stuck in the ground, it marked the location of the royal tent. The ultimate disgrace would be to die by one's own spear. This is precisely what Abishai suggested. Abner had failed in his responsibility to protect the king. Furthermore, the very fact that David and Abishai were able to enter such a large camp without being detected could be credited only to God's intervention. Abishai offered to administer the blow so David would not have to live with the guilt of having killed the king. One might think that David would be justified in killing the man who sought to kill him. However, by taking the symbol of royal rank he chose to shame his enemy rather than assassinate him. Despite the fact that Saul was out to kill him, David refused to harm the king, for he was still the one chosen by God to lead the people. The fate of God's anointed one was in God's own hands. Though clearly favored by God, David does not take advantage of this favor. Judgment is in God's hands, and He alone will reward or punish each one according to his/her righteousness (sedeqah) and faithfulness ('emet).
In the second reading, Paul continues the discussion on the resurrection that we have followed the previous Sundays. Today he contrasts the ordinary human body with the resurrected body that believers will receive. He does this in several ways. First he draws a clear distinction between the first man, Adam, and the last Adam, Christ. In the second creation narrative Genesis 2,7, the first man became a living being (nepesh hayyah). In contrast, those possessing the spirit of the risen Christ have life through him, thus making him a life-giving spirit. Adam received life, while Christ gives it. Still contrasting Adam and Christ, Paul states that Adam, the first man, was out of the earth, made of its dust, while the second man, the Lord Jesus, by his resurrection was from heaven. Finally, those who come from the dust, as did the first man, will have natural bodies like that of the first man; those who are joined to the risen Lord will have resurrected bodies, as has the Lord. The passage ends with Paul playing on the idea of being made in the image of another. Just as being made of dust we bear the image of the first man, who was made of dust, so sharing in the resurrection of the Lord we bear the image of the last man, the one who was raised from the dead.
Jesus' Sermon on the Plain, begun in the gospel for last Sunday, continues today. The primary focus of this instruction is love (agape),specifically, love of one's enemies. This injunction to love is stated in four different but parallel ways: Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you and pray for those who mistreat you. In each case the disciples of Jesus are told to act toward their enemies in a way exactly opposite to the way they themselves are treated. In other words, they are not to retaliate in kind. Furthermore, it is not enough that they refrain from retaliation; their love should not be mere passive acceptance. Rather, they are called to active love of those who do not love them. Four examples of how this love is to be carried out are then given. Whether attacked or insulted by the blow on the cheek, one must be willing to be extravagant in one's resistance to retaliation. This same extravagance is illustrated in one's willingness to surrender even an undergarment when an outer cloak is taken. The disciples are told to give unquestioningly when asked and not to demand return of items taken. Such behavior may appear to be excessive, but it illustrates the extremes to which one must be willing to love enemies. What has come to be known as the Golden Rule appears elsewhere in negative form: What is hateful to you, do not do to others. The negative form admonishes us to refrain from evil, while Jesus' positive, open-ended version (Treat others as you would like them to treat you) is a call for active love. Three examples for living out this Golden Rule are given, each demonstrating that there is no credit in simple reciprocity. The disciples must surpass others in loving, doing good, and in lending. As children of God, they must model their love after the love God has for all, even for those who have turned away from Him. The disciples are called to be merciful (oiktirmon) as God is merciful. The word is closely akin to the Hebrew word meaning compassionate (rahum), the attitude of loving attachment a mother has for the child of her womb. Here that loving attitude is attributed to God, who is referred to as Father. Characterizing God in this way radically reinterprets the meaning of God's fatherhood. It is represented as lavishly loving and unselfishly attentive to others. Finally, the way the disciples treat others will be the standard for the way they are treated by God. If they do not judge or condemn, they will not be judged or condemned. If they forgive and are generous, they will be forgiven and will receive generously. While we may be extravagant in our loving, the goodness of God far exceeds even the greatest human beneficence.
In toddy’s liturgy, the schooling of the disciples continues. Here we see that such schooling is intent on changing the way we think as well as the way we act. Perhaps one of the most difficult lessons to learn in this area is forgiveness of those we consider our enemies, those who have wronged us. As challenging as this may be, the gospel calls us to an even higher standard: we must be merciful as God is merciful. If such perfection can become a reality in our lives, we will be able to forgive. Paul assures us that we can indeed attain such perfection, not by ourselves but through the power of the risen Lord, whose image we bear. Paul plays with the theology of creation. In the beginning we were made like the first Adam, earthly, limited, weak, concerned about the things of this world, and committed to our own well-being. Now we have been fashioned after the image of the second Adam, Christ, the risen Lord. Being like Christ, we become godlike, empowered with his saving power, transformed with him into new beings. It is now in our power, which is really the power of the resurrection, to be merciful as God is merciful. In the risen Lord we experience a mystical transformation. From now on all our actions can flow from this new reality. Transformed by the power of the resurrection, we are capable of unprecedented good works. We can live without retaliation; we can render good for evil. We can be prodigal in our generosity toward others; we can relinquish any rights of proprietorship we might enjoy. We can live with others without unfairly judging them. We can be like God, boundless in our forgiveness. When we are transformed, God becomes the source of our spiritual power, the model after whom we pattern our lives, the incentive that spurs us on, and the ultimate goal of all our works. The works themselves are not mere external performances done out of obligation. They are visible manifestations of a deep inner reality, of the transformation/conversion that has taken place in our lives. Schooling for discipleship results in total transformation in Christ. May we, therefore, assiduously pray in today’s Eucharistic Celebration for the grace to be totally formed into the image of Christ! Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye
(graphics by chukwubike oc)
In toddy’s liturgy, the schooling of the disciples continues. Here we see that such schooling is intent on changing the way we think as well as the way we act. Perhaps one of the most difficult lessons to learn in this area is forgiveness of those we consider our enemies, those who have wronged us. As challenging as this may be, the gospel calls us to an even higher standard: we must be merciful as God is merciful. If such perfection can become a reality in our lives, we will be able to forgive. Paul assures us that we can indeed attain such perfection, not by ourselves but through the power of the risen Lord, whose image we bear. Paul plays with the theology of creation. In the beginning we were made like the first Adam, earthly, limited, weak, concerned about the things of this world, and committed to our own well-being. Now we have been fashioned after the image of the second Adam, Christ, the risen Lord. Being like Christ, we become godlike, empowered with his saving power, transformed with him into new beings. It is now in our power, which is really the power of the resurrection, to be merciful as God is merciful. In the risen Lord we experience a mystical transformation. From now on all our actions can flow from this new reality. Transformed by the power of the resurrection, we are capable of unprecedented good works. We can live without retaliation; we can render good for evil. We can be prodigal in our generosity toward others; we can relinquish any rights of proprietorship we might enjoy. We can live with others without unfairly judging them. We can be like God, boundless in our forgiveness. When we are transformed, God becomes the source of our spiritual power, the model after whom we pattern our lives, the incentive that spurs us on, and the ultimate goal of all our works. The works themselves are not mere external performances done out of obligation. They are visible manifestations of a deep inner reality, of the transformation/conversion that has taken place in our lives. Schooling for discipleship results in total transformation in Christ. May we, therefore, assiduously pray in today’s Eucharistic Celebration for the grace to be totally formed into the image of Christ! Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye
(graphics by chukwubike oc)
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