Homily for the
7th Sunday of Ordinary
Time
Feb. 20, 2022
1 Sam 26: 2-23
Luke 6: 27-38
St. Joseph Church, New Rochelle, N.Y.
“Tho the Lord delivered you into my grasp, I
would not harm the Lord’s anointed” (1 Sam 26: 23).
At considerable length the 1st Book of Samuel reports King Saul’s hatred for David and his attempts to kill him. Our 1st reading today presents one such episode, condensed from 25 verses to 8. The passage is paired with the gospel reading, which is aptly summed up in the verse “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36).
At great length Jesus commands us to be
forgiving toward our enemies, to be like his Father. Pope Francis reminds us that “the name of God
is mercy.”[1] Jesus commands us to be like himself, who
treated sinners so tenderly and forgave even his executioners.
The 1st reading gives us the example of
David, destined to become the ideal king of Israel, but at this point a
fugitive, unjustly pursued by King Saul and his soldiers. When David had a chance to kill his mortal
enemy, he didn’t do so, showing mercy—as well as reverence for God, who had
chosen Saul and made him king: “Who can
lay hands on the Lord’s anointed and remain unpunished?” (1 Sam 26:9).
Love for one’s enemies, prayer for those who
mistreat you (Luke 6:27-28), patience in the face of personal offenses,
however, doesn’t mean leaving ourselves defenseless. We hire and train law enforcement officers
expecting them to use necessary force to protect society (we get rightly upset
if they should abuse their power). In
these weeks we’re watching anxiously as Ukraine resists Russia’s bullying, and
altho we pray for peace, we’re glad that our country and many others are
backing vulnerable Ukraine. “Turning the
other cheek” (6:29) doesn’t mean letting yourself be abused—not as a spouse, a
child being taken advantage of, or someone accosted by a mugger. It didn’t mean Poland should have rolled over
before Hitler’s threats, or that Ukraine should fold before a Russian bully.
What does it mean to be merciful like Jesus
or like our heavenly Father? Forgiveness
is one of the hardest things commanded of Christians, maybe harder than
chastity or complete honesty. But forgiveness
isn’t optional. We pray, “Forgive us our
trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Forgive our sins, just as we forgive those
who sin against us. “Forgive and you
will be forgiven” (6:37). If you don’t
forgive, you won’t be forgiven.
Yes, people do sin against us: taking advantage of us at home or at work,
lying, stealing, ignoring our needs, failing to support us, misjudging us, etc.,
etc. But getting even is exactly the
opposite of Jesus’ example. When he was
being arrested, he commanded his disciples to put away their swords (Matt
26:51-52), adding, “Do you think that I cannot call upon my Father and he will
not provide me at this moment with more than 12 legions of angels?” (26:53),
i.e., with 100,000 spiritual soldiers.
Assuredly, that force would have been quite enuf to make mincemeat of the
police and soldiers come to arrest him.
But Jesus’ all-surpassing love wouldn’t let
him harm even his bitter foes. “The Most
High is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked” (Luke 6:35)—even to us sinners
who gather here unworthy in his presence.
Still, forgiving those who offend us is a
process for most of us. If we’ve been
physically injured, healing takes time.
Scars remain. I can show you
25-year-old surgical scars. The scars on
our souls don’t disappear either. But
that doesn’t mean we can’t pray for those who’ve hurt us. We must pray for them—pray for their
conversion and healing, pray that they might be (or become) friends of God and
come to eternal life (and not praying that this happen soon!). We must pray for our own healing. Some of the fault in a broken relationship
might be ours, after all. At the least,
we pray for a more tranquil heart when we remember our injuries.
Finally, we entrust everything and everyone
to God, as David did. God had made known
to David his future, that he should become king. Yet, in the face of Saul’s deadly hostility,
David maintained, “The Lord will reward each man for his justice and his faithfulness”
(1 Sam 26:23), not for his military skill or his power over his enemies. In fact, along with the Psalmist, we all
depend upon the Lord to be “merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding
in kindness” and “not to deal with us according to our sins” (103:8,10).
Therefore, may our gracious and merciful
Father pardon not only our sins but also the sins of everyone in our
lives. At this time, may his mercy
defend those in need of his help and keep the world at peace.
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