Feb. 24, 2019: 7th Sunday Ordinary C
Feb. 24, 2019: 7th Sunday Ordinary C
Are you a student of forgiveness or a student of grudge holding? There is a story about a man who carried a school bag filled with notebooks that contained all the wrongs ever done to him from his childhood. Each year, the backpack got heavier because he accumulated more notebooks filled with details of what was done wrong and by whom. He carried this school bag wherever he went--to work, to lunch, and to vacation. And whenever asked, he took the notebook out and shared the content of his notebook. It wasn’t long that the weight of the grudges, resentments, and disappointments was breaking his back. This is a very graphic illustration of grudge holding that we all do in our lives. It blocks our relationship with others, impeding us in seeing possibilities in people.
The First Reading is a graphic illustration that is opposite of grudge holding. David has been on the run for weeks chased by King Saul in his jealous and angry bid to get rid of David whom the King saw as a rival. An opportunity arrived one night when David and his deputy snuck into the tent where King Saul was sound asleep. A spear was within the reach of David to finish the King off, yet in reverence for an anointed king, David forgave the King and spared his life. At the time of David, the Code of Hamurabi was well known. It was the law of the ancient Mesopotamian culture which emphasized reciprocity, that is, “An eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth; a life for a life.” Returning evil for evil was the culture of the day. Yet nearly 1,000 years before the arrival of Christ, David embodied the teachings of Jesus: to love and do good for one’s enemies; to return a blessing for a curse; to pray for the person who was harming them; to not strike back when a person slapped them.
Jesus’ teaching continues to defy our logic and realistic sense of fairness. Why should we be kind to the ungrateful, stop judging,those who hurt us, and forgive the wicked acts of others? Have we forgotten that when we are ungrateful, judgmental, and wicked, God still forgives? We find it hard to believe that Jesus loved those who crucified him. Yet we know he stretched out his hands and feet to be nailed to a cross by those who despised him. Yet from that cross, Jesus lifted his voice to heaven, forgave those who persecuted him, and prayed for them.
Jesus taught his disciples a simple yet profound prayer to teach them how to love like he loved. As he taught his disciples to pray, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done,” Jesus wanted them to relinquish their craving to impose their own judgments and sense of superiority over others. This prayer has been taught for generations handed it down to us so that we too can love as Christ loved us. As we receive His daily bread—His life giving words and Eucharist—we grow in gratefulness and we receive the grace to be kind and to live without condemning others. Are we willing to commit to not judge and condemn our neighbor? The beginning of Lent is only 10 days away. As we begin our Divine Mercy Novena, fasting, and prayer, let us use this time to look within to surrender our selfish and hurtful ways. As our lenten practices and prayer begin to soften our hearts, God will give us the gift of freedom from keeping score and remembering the wrongs of others. We trust that God will help us to see our neighbors in His redeeming light.
Are you a student of forgiveness or a student of grudge holding? There is a story about a man who carried a school bag filled with notebooks that contained all the wrongs ever done to him from his childhood. Each year, the backpack got heavier because he accumulated more notebooks filled with details of what was done wrong and by whom. He carried this school bag wherever he went--to work, to lunch, and to vacation. And whenever asked, he took the notebook out and shared the content of his notebook. It wasn’t long that the weight of the grudges, resentments, and disappointments was breaking his back. This is a very graphic illustration of grudge holding that we all do in our lives. It blocks our relationship with others, impeding us in seeing possibilities in people.
The First Reading is a graphic illustration that is opposite of grudge holding. David has been on the run for weeks chased by King Saul in his jealous and angry bid to get rid of David whom the King saw as a rival. An opportunity arrived one night when David and his deputy snuck into the tent where King Saul was sound asleep. A spear was within the reach of David to finish the King off, yet in reverence for an anointed king, David forgave the King and spared his life. At the time of David, the Code of Hamurabi was well known. It was the law of the ancient Mesopotamian culture which emphasized reciprocity, that is, “An eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth; a life for a life.” Returning evil for evil was the culture of the day. Yet nearly 1,000 years before the arrival of Christ, David embodied the teachings of Jesus: to love and do good for one’s enemies; to return a blessing for a curse; to pray for the person who was harming them; to not strike back when a person slapped them.Jesus’ teaching continues to defy our logic and realistic sense of fairness. Why should we be kind to the ungrateful, stop judging,those who hurt us, and forgive the wicked acts of others? Have we forgotten that when we are ungrateful, judgmental, and wicked, God still forgives? We find it hard to believe that Jesus loved those who crucified him. Yet we know he stretched out his hands and feet to be nailed to a cross by those who despised him. Yet from that cross, Jesus lifted his voice to heaven, forgave those who persecuted him, and prayed for them.
