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Sunday,
February 22, 2004 1
Sam 26, 2.7-9.12-13.22-23: Respect the Lord’s anointed First
Reading In 1 Sam 24 we read that David spared Saul’s life. Soon after, in 1 Sam 26 we
come upon a verse with the same theme, but it is distinct in form, although
at base it is the same. The text tries to show how in David’s
life mercy is combined with courage. After David goes into the army,
his brilliant moves awake in Saul feelings of envy and a desire to kill
David. David has to flee, living for a while as a fugitive. The people
of the Ziph desert tell Saul that David has hidden in the desert. Saul
immediately takes off for the desert to look for David; he is accompanied
by three thousand men chosen from all of Israel,. David, realizing that
Saul has set up camp and that all are asleep, approaches with his aide
Abishai. They find Saul and his whole army in a deep sleep, which God
has put upon them. All the conditions are in place for David to dispatch
the one who has unreasonably sought to kill him. Abishai asks David
to let him nail Saul to the ground with his lance. David says no, because
they can’t kill the person whose life is guided by the One who
is in Heaven; Saul has been anointed by God Himself. David shows his
mercy, respecting Saul’s life, and in his faithfulness to God,
recognizes Saul as God’s anointed one. The scene ends with David
leaving all in the hands of God: “Yahweh you give to each one
according to his merits and faithfulness, because you have delivered
him into my power, but I have not wished to raise my hand against Yahweh’s
anointed one.” (1 Sam 26, 23). Second Reading Paul continues, committed to his reflections on the resurrection of the dead. 1Cor 15, 35-58 gives arguments about the manner of our bodily resurrection. In
today’s text, Paul gathers some Jewish interpretations that identify
Adam, in the first chapter of Genesis, as created in the image of God
and thus a celestial being. In the second chapter, Adam is described
as made from dust and therefore an earthly and mortal being. Jesus is
the spiritual Adam, whom all believers should strive to imitate. We
have to be aware that the Jews did not understand the spiritual as something
immaterial, but as something dynamic and active, something that enlivens
and gives life. We Christians, on our part, understand the spiritual
to have two aspects; inasmuch as we are born of earth like Adam, we
are sinful and corruptible, but we are called to be spiritual like Jesus,
who enlivens us and gives us life in abundance. Gospel We continue with the sermon on the plain. Last week we heard the first part of the Blessings and Woes. Now Jesus begins the second part, inviting all who will hear to cultivate a merciful and universal love, so as to become like our Father in heaven. The poor are called blessed without having any requisite ethical behavior demanded of them; now Jesus adds that if they want to continue to be blessed, they must become imbued with the Christian way. According to Jesus there are some fundamental principles. In the first place, love of enemies. The Old Testament sees hatred of the enemy as something natural (Ps. 35). Jesus, on the other hand, unites love of enemies with love of neighbor. The fathers of the church, saw the forgiveness of enemies as one of the great novelties of Christian ethics. The 20th Century Jewish philosopher P. Lapide (quoted by Francois Bovon) wrote: “to rejoice in the disgrace of another, to hate one’s enemies, to return evil for evil are forbidden actions, while what is demanded is magnanimity and assistance offered to the neighbor in need. But Judaism does not know love of enemies as a moral principle.” This imperative is the only one in the three chapters of the sermon on the mount that has no clear parallel nor analogy with rabbinic literature. It constitutes, in theological terms, something original to Jesus. This originality of Jesus goes completely beyond the Jewish criterion of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, which dominated the justice of Israel for centuries. It also goes beyond the old and new testament formulas of loving one’s neighbor as oneself, because it includes love of enemies. This doesn’t mean that we’re not going to have enemies because we, like Jesus, fight against injustice, intolerance, corruption, violence, etc. What it means is that we must not display attitudes of condemnation, but must be expansive and open up possibilities, so that “enemies” find the way of conversion and reconciliation, and discover in us the Father’s love and how enjoyable it is to live like brothers and sisters. The second principle is that you must turn the other cheek to someone who strikes your face. If someone asks for your cloak, you should give your mantle, too. Give to the one who asks of you, and even if he takes your things, don’t demand them back. It treats of being mild but not foolishly weak. Jesus doesn’t want to reduce us to passivity, conformity or resignation. How long have the powerful used “Christian resignation” to silence the voices of those who demand their rights? It doesn’t mean that we are to renounce our rights, nor be silent in the face of injustice. What it means is that we are absolutely to renounce violence as a means of resolving differences and conflicts. It also means that we are to renounce our own comforts and most precious possessions to give to those who have greater need. In this sense, Jesus goes beyond the concept of sharing which was common to his time; for it isn’t enough to share “bread with the hungry”...we must give all, even life itself. In 6, 31 we find what is generally called the golden rule of human relations. This rule was known in the Judaic world. The originality of Jesus’s message is a change from the attitude of reciprocity to the sincere and inexhaustible effort to treat others well, just as we wish them to treat us. The greatest proof of “treating well” is to do so to enemies. This means love for all those who create a chaotic world with their actions; it means tolerance for those whose ideas are different, understanding toward those who choose different paths, etc. We must religiously put this attitude in practice by praying for those who oppress us and blessing those who curse us. To love, bless, and pray for “enemies” does not mean to lose our sense of criticism, denunciation and reproof. What Jesus asks is that we be guided by the initiatives of love, pardon and blessing. This is the witness that can most rapidly and effectively change those who hate, who do evil and who curse. It is well said in Mt 5,16: “Let your light shine before all, that they may see your good works, and thus give glory to your Father in heaven.” Verse 35 is a wonderful summary of all that has been said up to here. In V. 36 we find the third principle of Christian living: “Be merciful as your Father is merciful to you.” Unlike Matthew who speaks of perfection, Luke speaks of mercy. Mercy is presented as an element constitutive of being Christian, because it is of God. Have we asked ourselves sometimes how merciful we are? Often we confuse mercy or compassion with sympathy and this is not Christian, because someone who feels sympathy is unconsciously feeling superior to the other. One who has mercy establishes a relationship as of brothers and sisters so we can find together the Lord’s path. Fourthly,
we have three exhortations which make concrete the merciful attitude
of Christians. The first is: “Judge not and you will not be judged”.
(v. 37). This does not mean to lose the ability to give an opinion about
what is good or bad, but means not to destroy one’s fellows through
criticism, gossip and calumny. This first exhortation is in the negative,
and the second is positive: “Forgive and you will be forgiven.”
Mercy can’t be understood apart from the ability to forgive, because
it is in moments of forgiveness that communities really live as brothers
and sisters. The last exhortation is also positive: “Give and
it will be given to you.” Mercy reaches its highest point in giving.
The witness of Jesus was his complete self-offering for God’s
causes. God gave everything, even his own Son. And we? We give what
we have left over or what is less important to us. Giving one’s
own life for others is the most authentic way to live the Christian
life. For
personal conversion Is
my love based on a love like the one Jesus presents in the Beatitudes
and the texts that follow? Am I capable of loving those I don’t
like, those who displease me, my enemies? For
group meetings -In a society based on competition and the interaction of selfish interests, where everything is buying and selling and commercialization, is it possible to be a person who loves unconditionally? -If Jesus said we must love our enemies, did he mean that we wouldn’t have enemies? How can we love someone who takes a position that opposes the common good? How can we love those who exploit? -On a more philosophical plane: are we humans capable of a completely disinterested love, a pure love, a love that expects no type of reward? -For all men and women whose lives are not based on a generous and mature love which excuses and forgives, we pray to God. -For families that are broken, without love, divided, separated or in conflict, we pray to God. -That children and youth may learn that competitiveness is not the highest value, and that love and mercy have something to say to a world where everything is dominated by the law of the marketplace, we pray to God. -That a Christian love of enemies will not lead us to passivity or inaction, or to ignore the demands of justice and truth, we pray to God. -That
young people may discover the beauty of love, which elevates and gives
meaning to all human relationships, we pray to God. Prayer
of the Community O God, Supreme and Total Love, in Jesus’s life and words we hear you call us to grow in love until we arrive at a full and mature love, which loves friends and enemies equally. We ask you to help us to live in this love. We ask this through Jesus, your Son and our Brother, who lives and reigns with you forever and ever. Amen. |
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