Today’s Gospel and first reading are about loving enemies and showing mercy.
David is being pursued by King Saul, and at one point he could have allowed
his companion to kill the king whilst he was asleep. But instead, by preserving
his life, if you read the full version of the extract, Saul has a change of heart
towards him. The power of love and mercy.
The psalm connects this to the Lord. He is merciful with us, greatly so. If we
are followers of the Lord, should we not imitate Him?
This then leads to the Gospel. Now this is where it might get a bit tricky. What
is literal, and what is more general, or just making a point? “Love your
enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for
those who abuse you.” This all seems fairly straightforward, although, it’s
when we are really put to the test that we see we need a bit of help from the
Lord. It’s easy to forgive and wish someone well when it’s just a small matter
– maybe someone bumped into you in the hall after Mass and spilled your tea
or coffee. But what if someone bumped into your car? And what if you came
back from Mass to find someone had broken into your house? When you pray
for them, would it be that something nasty happens to them, or that they have a
change of heart? Many years ago there was an AT&T advert for mobile
phones. A few people are driving along, I think it was in an open truck of some
sort, and happen to line up alongside Pope John Paul II, who is driving an open
top car all by himself. They make fun of him and throw things at him, and then
drive off. The Pope picks up his mobile phone, calls someone, and the
conversation ends with a smile. In the next scene, the people in the open truck
are travelling along the road when suddenly they get struck by lightning. And
the advert concludes by saying how useful AT&T mobile phones are. But that’s
typical of TV adverts, portraying unchristian behaviour, and involving the then
Pope in it as well!
How do we interpret what Christ has to say to us today? One way is to look at
the example He set, and that of others in the New Testament. “Love your
enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for
those who abuse you.” That’s exactly what He did on the Cross, praying:
“Father, forgive them: for they know not what they do” (Lk 23:34). St
Stephen, when he was being stoned to death, prayed for his persecutors, that
God would not hold this sin against them (Acts 7:60). But then when we look
at the next sentence in the Gospel, it says: “To one who strikes you on the
cheek, offer the other also”. When Our Lord was taken to the house of Annas,
father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year, it says He was slapped on
the cheek for the way He answered the high priest’s question. He didn’t invite
others to slap His other cheek, but instead made an accusation of injustice. In
The Acts of the Apostles, when St Paul was first stripped, flogged and thrown
into prison, and later on an order was sent for his release, he didn’t just
peacefully go on his way. He said: “What! ... They flog Roman citizens in
public and without trial and throw us into prison, and then think they can push
us out on the quiet! Oh no! They must come and escort us out themselves.”
(See Acts 16:16-40) At various times, St Paul used his status as a Roman
citizen to get fairer treatment and a more appropriate hearing. To “turn the
other cheek” is not a literal thing, but rather to not respond to provocation and
let people wind you up. It doesn’t mean you can’t defend yourself.
But the message in the Gospel is to live to a higher standard than the people
around you, not just to copy other people’s behaviour. If you love your friends,
it’s nothing unusual. But showing kindness to enemies? It’s not just about
being professional; it’s about modelling the behaviour you want to see,
showing God’s love and forgiveness, rather than strict justice or tit for tat. The
parable of the prodigal son is not only about God’s forgiveness that is there for
those who repent; it’s also showing that mercy is a higher law, if you like, than
the strict justice and even resentment of the older brother. Growing up, sibling
rivalry can be a hot topic, with a lot of what they call today “lived experience”.
But it’s more important that someone who has messed up and is sorry is
readmitted to the fold, rather than banished into the outer darkness forever.
We are to be generous with our forgiveness. Elsewhere, Peter asks the Lord if
he should forgive his brother as often as seven times; maybe he thought he was
being generous. But no, the Lord says, not seven, but forgive seventy-seven
times; always forgive. At the end of the Gospel, Christ uses the example of a
generous trader. You know what it’s like when you open the breakfast cereal
box and the inner packet is only two thirds of the height of the box, and the
inner packet is only two thirds full itself. “Contents may settle in transit” the
box says. Our forgiveness should be like the generous trader, who pours the
grain in, shakes it about and packs it down and makes sure that it even
overflows and takes off the excess so it is truly full to the brim. You like a
good bargain? You like a good deal? Take the initiative and be generous with
others first, even if they won’t reciprocate. God will repay you, even if they
don’t. “For the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
Curious about exploring things further? If you would like to ask further questions about the topics raised in these homilies (or maybe think it wasn’t explained too well!), please feel free to e-mail Fr Michael at stjoseph.thame@rcaob.org.uk