The Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
There are some who might say that “getting even” is just part of being human. After all, these same folks might say, doesn’t the Bible say, “An eye for an eye…”?
It does… that’s true. We find that idea in both the Book of Exodus (21:23-25) and the Book of Leviticus (24:19-20).
However… when we stop and think about the teachings of Jesus… most especially how he treated others—including his attitudes towards those who tortured and killed him—we see that he wants those who are his followers to act in a way that is very different from that imagined by those who are wise in the ways of the world.
“Giving as good as you got” or seeking retribution has no part in the Christian life, particularly when we consider the dominant message in the Readings for this Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time.
In this Sunday’s Gospel—which forms an important part of Saint Luke’s “Sermon on the Plain”—Jesus continues the series of teachings we heard this past Sunday. And so, moving from the Beatitudes and the promises God makes to those who live according to the demands of discipleship, we hear Jesus’ instructions about loving our enemies and avoiding judging others.
As theologian José A. Pagola has observed, “From his experience of a non-violent God, Jesus proposes a nonviolent practice of resistance to injustice. This means living in unity with a God whose heart is not violent but compassionate… He simply suggests a way of acting that tests the limits of the possible. He does this by proposing specific situations that graphically show how to preach against evil: Do not [violently] resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile.’” In the end, Pagola reflects, Jesus’ desire for his followers is to help make the Reign of God a reality in the world by combatting evil and injustice responsibly and courageously, because God’s Reign demands that we live lives of love and compassion.
Reflecting on this theme, Pope Benedict XVI remarked, “Love of one's enemy constitutes the nucleus of the ‘Christian revolution,’ a revolution not based on strategies of economic, political or media power: the revolution of love, a love that does not rely ultimately on human resources but is a gift of God which is obtained by trusting solely and unreservedly in his merciful goodness. Here is the newness of the Gospel which silently changes the world! Here,” Pope Benedict concludes, “is the heroism of the ‘lowly’ who believe in God's love and spread it, even at the cost of their lives” (Angelus, February 18, 2007).
These are hard lessons, especially for those who have suffered much. The idea of making others “pay” for our pain, loss, or disappointment is a way to try to soothe hurt feelings. But this isn’t the way that is modeled by our Crucified King. In fact, when we think about Jesus’ very clear instruction that we are to “love” our enemies, we have to ask ourselves a very hard question: If I love someone, how can I also say that they are my enemy?
In the end, as it was with David and Saul in the First Reading, we are being invited to look for opportunities for bridge-building and even reconciliation when it is at all possible: “Give, and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”
Grant, we pray, almighty God,
that, always pondering spiritual things,
we may carry out in both word and deed
that which is pleasing to you.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
-Collect for the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
