OT VII [C] (Feb 20) Sunday (Eight-minute homily in one page)
Central theme: Today’s Scripture readings challenge us to make three types of correct choices in life. First, we are advised to choose the “golden rule” including loving our enemies and showing sensitivity to the feelings and needs of others. Second, we need to choose unconditional, agape love instead of jealousy and hatred in our relationships with others. Third, we must choose graceful and merciful forgiveness instead of harboring revenge and planning retaliation.
Scripture lessons: The first reading shows us how David made the right choice, respecting God’s anointed king by forgiving his offenses, while Saul continued to make the wrong choices, perpetuating his own misery in seeking his revenge. In the Responsorial Psalm, Ps 103, the Psalmist reminds us of the mercy of God and His compassion which we should practice in our choices. In the second reading, St. Paul tells us how the “First Adam” made a wrong choice of disobedience, bringing death into the world, whereas Jesus, the “Second Adam,” made the right choice of fulfilling his Father’s saving plan for mankind by accepting acute suffering and heinous death. Today’s Gospel (Luke 6:27-38) gives us Jesus’ revolutionary moral teaching about correct choices in our human relationships, based on the necessity of our following the “Golden Rule” and our obligation to behave like the children of a loving, forgiving, merciful, and compassionate Heavenly Father. Our relationships in our communities become truly Christian when we follow the Golden Rule, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Jesus amplifies the golden rule by giving additional commands for us to follow as God’s children, by explaining Christian love: “Love your enemies…Do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you and pray for those who maltreat you.” Jesus orders us to love our enemies and to be merciful and compassionate to everyone as God our Father is loving, merciful, and compassionate. He concludes by instructing us to stop judging others and start forgiving all who offend us.
Life Messages: 1)We need to practice the Golden Rule:The Golden Rule asks us to do to others what we would like them do to us. If we obey, loving others and expressing that love by loving words and deeds, we will start receiving the same love from others in higher intensity. Further, if we want others to forgive our offenses, our words of criticism, and our thoughtless judgments against them, then we should start forgiving their offenses against us and start appreciating their good qualities while encouraging them and supporting them in their needs.
2) We need to pray for the strength to forgive. At every Mass we pray the “Our Father”, asking God to forgive us as we forgive others. Our challenge is to overcome our natural inclination to hate family members, co-workers, neighbors and all who offend us. To meet that challenge, we need to ask God for the strength to forgive each other. We must forgive, because only forgiveness truly heals us. If we remember how God has forgiven us, it will help us forgive others. Let us start forgiving right now by curbing the sharp tongue of criticism, suppressing the revenge instinct and bearing patiently the irritating behavior of a neighbor.
VII SUNDAY: (I Sm 26 2:7-9, 12-13, 22-23; I Cor 15:45-49; Lk 6:27-38)
Homily starter anecdote: # 1: Adopt an orphaned Muslim child in your Hindu family. In his autobiography, The Story of My Experiments with Truth, Mahatma Gandhi mentions the “Sermon on the Mount” as one of the main religious works that inspired him to search for ways of bringing about political freedom for India by non-violent resistance to oppression. He writes: “I came to see that the Sermon on the Mount was the whole of Christianity for one who wanted to live a Christian life. It is that sermon that has endeared Jesus to me.” In 1947, when British India was divided into Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan, Mahatma Gandhi went on a hunger strike to end the communal violence which had erupted between Hindu and Moslem fanatics in the Indo-Pakistani Border States. During this time, a Hindu fanatic came to him and confessed, “I will surely go to hell and no one can save me.” Gandhi asked the man why he thought he was doomed to hell. The man replied that he was a Hindu, and that Muslims had killed his child during a riot. In revenge, he had slaughtered a Muslim child and his parents, but felt very guilty afterwards. Gandhi said, “I know one way to save you from going to hell. “Find a Muslim child who has lost his parents, take him home, bring him up and educate him so that he grows up as a Muslim in your Hindu family.Then you won’t go to hell.” When Mohandas Gandhi was gunned down in 1948, his last gesture was to press his palms together and raise his folded hands to his lips in the Hindu sign of forgiveness. Martin Luther King was a great admirer of Gandhi. When a gang of racial fanatics set fire to King’s house, an Afro-American mob gathered, ready to take revenge. But he told them, “When you live by the rule ‘an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,’ you end up with a nation of blind and toothless people.” Then he led the gathering in prayer for the white brothers who had burned his house. That is what the “Amazing Grace” of forgiveness, the central theme of today’s readings, is all about. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
# 2: Meeting the President to seek pardon for the worst enemy: During the Revolutionary War, Peter Miller was the pastor of a little Baptist Church in Pennsylvania. He was also the abbot of the community of mystics at the Ephrata Cloisters whose monks helped the fighting American soldiers with food. The Reverend Peter Miller was a friend of General George Washington and was respected for his many outstanding services to the newly born republic. He also helped the President to translate the Declaration of Independence into several foreign languages so that the Imperial Courts of Europe would be aware of the intentions of the new American government. Michael Wildman, the public prosecutor lived near the Church, constantly criticizing and abusing Pastor Miller and his congregation. When Wildman was caught for spying for the British army, President George Washington sentenced him to be hanged for treason. No sooner was the sentence announced than Rev. Peter Miller set out on foot to appeal to General George Washington for his enemy’s life. The president thought that Mr. Wildman was Rev. Miller’s friend and stated that he could not save Miller’s friend because of the gravity of his guilt. Miller said, “Mr. President, Mr. Wildman is not my friend; he is my worst enemy.” “What!” exclaimed Washington, “You have walked sixty miles to save the life of your enemy? That puts the matter in a different light. Pardon is granted.” Pardon in hand, Miller hurried to the place of execution, fifteen miles away. He arrived just as the traitor was being led to the scaffold. Seeing the pastor Miller coming close to the executing officer, the condemned Wildman shouted, “Here is the old Peter Miller. He came to get his revenge by seeing me hanged.” — Miller calmly stepped forward and gave him the pardon, signed by General Washington. Rev. Miller lived by the command Jesus gave us as described in today’s Gospel passage: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” (Adapted from Msgr. Arthur Tonne & http://rosicrucian.50webs.com/various/palo-day-washington-cried.htm).
# 3: Two presidents and a truck driver: When President Gerald Ford granted former President Richard Nixon “a free, full and absolute pardon” for his participation and perjury in the “Watergate” scandal, many considered Ford’s decision to be an act of weakness. In 1977, when President Jimmy Carter offered amnesty to those who, during the Vietnamese War, had avoided being conscripted, he was criticized for not enforcing the law. Both men, one a Republican, the other a Democrat, “took the heat”, as it were, because neither was motivated by partisan politics or the pressure of public opinion. Each had chosen to go beyond the limits of strict justice in order to exercise a mercy that was dictated, not by law, but by a conscience formed on Gospel principles. During the race riots in Los Angeles, in the aftermath of the Rodney King incident, a truck driver named Reginald Denny was pulled from his vehicle and severely beaten with a brick. When the case went to trial in 1993, Denny stunned the courtroom with his offer of forgiveness to those who had almost killed him. Later Denny said that only by forgiving the perpetrators of the crime against him had he been able to put the event behind him and move on. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Introduction: The readings today are linked together by one main theme: the power of Christian love, when exercised in unconditional forgiveness. The readings also instruct us about our right and wrong choices. The right choices lead us to God, and the wrong ones break our relationship with Him and with one another. The first reading shows us how David made the right choice, respecting God’s anointed king by forgiving his offenses, while Saul continued to make the wrong choices, perpetuating his own misery seeking his revenge. In the Responsorial Psalm, Ps 103, the Psalmist reminds us of the mercy of God and His compassion for us “as a Father has compassion on His children.” In the second reading, St. Paul tells us how the “First Adam” made a wrong choice of disobedience, bringing death into the world, whereas Jesus, the “Second Adam,” made the correct choice of fulfilling his Father’s saving plan. Today’s Gospel (Luke 6:27-38), gives us Jesus’ revolutionary moral teaching about correct choices in our human relationships, placing special emphasis on the Golden Rule, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” This Golden Rule, is amplified by a string of particular commands: “Love your enemies…Do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you and pray for those who maltreat you.” For Jesus, love is a fundamental attitude that seeks another’s good. Jesus orders us to love our enemies and to be merciful as God our Father is merciful. Jesus challenges us to do for others what God does for us. “Be compassionate, as your Father is compassionate.” He concludes by instructing us to stop judging and start forgiving.
The first reading (1 Sm 26: 2: 7-9, 12-13, 22-23) explained: This reading from the Hebrew Scriptures, gives us a vivid example of self-control, forgiveness, and mercy. The ancient Israelites were governed first by Moses, then by a long line of judges. Since they noticed the progress made by their Gentile neighbors who had kings, the Israelites finally prevailed on their last Judge, Samuel to ask God for a king for them. (1 Samuel: 8). The king was Saul. In Saul’s army, the youth David won a famous victory over Goliath, and thereby gained the admiration of the people and the envy of King Saul. Saul and his “three thousand picked men” went in search of David to kill him. Yet, David and Abishai were able to steal into Saul’s camp and stand over the sleeping king. But David turned down Abishai’s offer to “nail Saul to the ground with one thrust of the spear.” ”Do not harm him,” David commanded. Then taking Saul’s spear and water jug, he went to an opposite hill and yelled across to Abner, Saul’s lieutenant: “Here is the king’s spear…. Today, though Yahweh delivered him into my grasp, I would not harm Yahweh’s anointed.” David’s sense of justice, spirit of forgiveness, and respect for Divine authority helped him to go beyond the retaliation which others expected him to show. David is an image of Christ and an example to us. If he can forgive his mortal enemy, so can, and so should, we.
The second reading (I Cor. 15:45-49) explained: Here we have Saint Paul’s doctrine of the resurrection of Jesus, contrasting Christ, “the last Adam,” with Adam, the “first Adam.” He reminds the Corinthian community that everyone shares in the sinful nature of the “first Adam.” But he encourages his followers to remember that by Baptism they also share in the spiritual nature of Jesus — the “last Adam.” Hence, we Christians are expected to go beyond our earthly, natural desire to seek revenge and retaliation. Instead, when we are injured, we are to offer the Christian response of forgiveness and mercy, whether our culture accepts or rejects it. If, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we do so, we share in the life of the risen Christ, both here and now, and after our death.
Gospel exegesis: The Gospel passage contains four commands of Jesus: love, forgive, do good, and pray. They specify the kind of love that the Christian follower is expected to show toward an enemy. The ‘enemy’ is one who injures hates or rejects the Christian. 1) Love your enemies: This command proposes a course of action that is contrary to human nature. Jesus invites those who follow him to repudiate their natural inclinations and instead follow his example and the example of the heavenly Father. He recommends, not merely a warm affection (philia), such as one might have for one’s family, or a passionate devotion (eros), such as one might expect between spouses, but a gracious, active interest (agape), in the welfare of precisely those persons who are antagonistic to us. Agape is the love that cares deeply for others simply because they are created in God’s image, and wishes them well because that is what God wishes. Jesus not only commanded us to love our enemies, he also gave us the most vivid and awesome example of this type of love in action. While hanging on the cross, he prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
2) Offer your other cheek to the one who strikes you. This injunction and that in v. 30, cut through the old principle of retaliation (Ex 21:24; Lev 24:20; Dt 19:21-30). Jesus is not saying that we should permit the destruction of the innocent and defenseless or allow ourselves to be abused or killed! The Catechism is very clear on this point: “Self-defense is morally legitimate, as long as it’s proportional to the attack. Let us remember that the commandment is ‘Love your neighbor AS YOU LOVE YOURSELF’…Love toward oneself remains a fundamental principle of morality. Therefore it is legitimate to insist on respect for one’s own right to life” (CCC #2264). What are the challenges Jesus gives us in this command to “turn the other cheek”? First, he challenges us to forgive others totally and completely, which means letting go of any and every grudge. He also challenges us not to seek vengeance. In addition, he wants us to be patient with the shortcomings of others and to love everyone, even our enemies. (CCC #2264). So the bottom line is this: It’s morally wrong not to defend the innocent, when we have a responsibility to do so; it’s morally legitimate to defend ourselves from an unjust aggressor; but it can be virtuous to endure unjust sufferings and even martyrdom for the sake of Jesus Christ and his Gospel.
3) “Forgive and you will be forgiven. Bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” This message might have sounded very strange to the Jews, who were familiar with a God who was merciful to his own people and vengeful against their enemies, as pictured in Psalms 18, 72 and 92. But Jesus repeats his teaching on forgiveness, both in the prayer he taught his disciples “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us,” (Mt 68:12; Lk 11:4), and in his final commandment to his apostles, “Just as I have loved you, you should also love one another” (Jn 15:12). Another good reason for us to forgive our enemies is, “(so that everyone will know that we are disciples of the Most High” (Jn 13:34-35). That is, Christianforgiveness can be a form of evangelization. Jesus does not advise his followers to overlook evils, wars, economic disparity, and exploitation of the vulnerable. Instead, we are called to forgive, to be merciful and not to retaliate. But we cannot achieve this level of love and forgiveness by ourselves. We need the power of God working through us by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.
4) The Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Christian ethics consists not in merely refraining from evil, but in actively doing good, not only to those who are friends, but to those who hate us or do evil against us. In other words, Jesus expects us to rise above our human instincts and imitate the goodness and generosity of God. The observance of the golden rule makes us like God whose love and mercy embrace saints and sinners alike. At the same time the Golden Rule does not require that we allow others to take advantage of us.
Life Messages: 1) Invitation to grace-filled behavior: What makes Christianity distinct from any other religion is the quality known as grace, i.e., God’s own life working in us, so that we are able to treat others, not as they deserve but with love, kindness and mercy. God is good to the unjust as well as to the just. Hence our love for others, even those who are ungrateful and selfish towards us, must be marked by the same kindness and mercy which God has shown to us. When we pray for those who do us wrong, we break the power of hate in ourselves and in others and release the power of love. How can we possibly love those who cause us harm? God gives the necessary power and grace to those who believe and accept the gift of the Holy Spirit. His love conquers our hurts, fears, prejudices and grief. Only the cross of Jesus Christ can free us from the tyranny of malice, hatred, revenge, and resentment, and give us the courage to return good for evil.
2) Accept the challenges of day-to-day life. Jesus challenges our willingness to endure unjust suffering for his sake and the sake of his Gospel. For example, we must often endure the suffering that comes when a co-worker calls us “a religious fanatic” because we believe in the Ten Commandments; the pain that comes when family members refuse to associate with us because we take our Faith seriously and refuse to compromise our beliefs; the suffering that comes to a practicing Christian youth who is ostracized by his friends because he won’t do drugs or engage in promiscuous sexual activity. These are examples of the “little martyrdoms” that Jesus challenges us to embrace every day in his name! (CCC # 2264)
3) Pray for the strength to forgive. At every Mass we pray the “Our Father,” asking God to forgive us as we forgive others. Our challenge is to overcome our natural inclination to hate. To meet that challenge we need to ask God for the strength to forgive each other. Each of us needs to ask: Do I have anyone in my life I call an enemy? Is there anyone who actually hates me? Are there people who would really curse me? Is there anyone in my life who mistreats me-–a boss, a teacher, a parent, a co-worker, a family member, a former spouse? These things hurt us, and they are often difficult to forgive. However, we must forgive, because only forgiveness truly heals us. If we remember how God has forgiven us, it will help us forgive others. For those who have hurt us, Jesus tells us our response should be love: “Forgive and you will be forgiven.” Let us start forgiving right now by curbing the sharp tongue of criticism, suppressing the revenge instinct, and patiently bearing the irritating behavior of a neighbor.
4) Let us try to live our lives in accordance with “the Golden Rule.” Let us examine our conscience. Is generosity central to our lives, or do we often choose selfishness instead? Are we willing to trust in God’s providence, or do we place our Faith in ourselves? Do we really accept and embrace our responsibility for one another and for the world we live in, or do we see all things in terms of our own wants and needs? Do we allow emotions such as hatred and jealousy guide our spiritual lives, or do we try to be more like our Lord?
Jokes of the week
#1: “Forgive Your Enemies” The preacher’s Sunday sermon was, “Forgive Your Enemies.” He asked, “How many have forgiven their enemies?” About half held up their hands. He then repeated the question. This time about eighty percent held up their hands. He then repeated his question a third time. The entire congregation held up their hands except one elderly lady. “Mrs. Jones,” the preacher asked, “aren’t you willing to forgive your enemies?” “I don’t have any” she replied. “That is very unusual”, the preacher said. “How old are you?” “Ninety-three.” “Mrs. Jones, please come to the front and tell the congregation how a person cannot have an enemy in the world.” The little sweetheart of a lady tottered down the aisle and said: “It’s easy; I just outlived all those rascals!”
# 2: The preacher and the doctor:There’s a story told of a husband and wife both of whom were doctors – one a Doctor of Theology and the other a Doctor of Medicine. When their doorbell was rung and the maid answered, the inquirer would often ask for “the doctor”. The maid’s interesting reply was: “Do you want the one who preaches or the one who practices?”
#: Irish prayer: There is an old Irish prayer that goes like this, “May God bless those who love us. And those who do not love us, may He turn their hearts. And if He does not turn their hearts, may He turn their ankles so we may know them by their limping.”
VIDEO-WEBSITES OF THE WEEK
(The easiest method to visit these websites is to copy and paste the web address or URL on the Address bar of any Internet website like Google or MSN and press the Enter button of your Keyboard).
1) Fr. Don’ collection of video homilies & blogs: https://sundayprep.org
2) Video Sunday-Scripture study by Fr. Geoffrey Plant:
https://www.youtube.com/user/GeoffreyPlant2066
3) Dr. Brant Pitre’s commentary on Cycle C Sunday Scripture for Bible Class: https://catholicproductions.com/blogs/mass-readings-explained-year-c
Selected Catholic apologetic websites
(https://www.reasonablecatholic.com/recommended-links/recommended-websites/)
1)http://www.abcsoffaith.com/html/home.html; 2) http://www.aboutcatholics.com/, 3) http://www.americancatholictruthsociety.com/ 4)http://www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/a/, 5) http://www.biblechristiansociety.com/ 6) http://www.catholic.com/ 7)http://www.phatmass.com/directory/ 8) http://www.catholicfaithandreason.org
9)http://www.TheDefender.org/ 10) http://www.ourcatholicfaith.org/ 11)www.catholicscomehome.org 12) www.jimmyakin.com
25 Additional anecdotes
1) Forgive and forget: When Mahatma Gandhi was gunned down in 1948, his last gesture was one of forgiveness for his assassin; with his palms pressed together he raised his hands to his lips in the Hindu sign of forgiveness. Pope John Paul II was similarly generous. After recovering from his gunshot wounds, he visited his assailant in jail and assured him of his forgiveness. Father Lawrence Jenco, upon his release as a hostage in Beirut, said that only when he was able to forgive his kidnappers, was he able to enjoy his freedom. Only by forgiving those who had starved, degraded and brutalized him was he able to move from brokenness to wholeness before God. During the race riots in Los Angeles, in the aftermath of the Rodney King debacle, a truck driver named Reginald Denny was pulled from his vehicle and severely beaten with a brick. When the case went to trial in 1993, Denny stunned the courtroom with his offer of forgiveness to those who had almost killed him. Later Denny said that only by forgiving the perpetrators of the crime against him was he able to put the event behind him and move on. The late Joseph Cardinal Bernardin (died November 14, 1996), who once said that the believer’s relationship with Christ must influence all his/her other relationships (Christ Lives in Me, St. Anthony Messenger Press, Cincinnati: 1970), extended his experience of that relationship to a young man who had accused him of sexual molestation. Even before the man recanted his accusations as false, Cardinal Bernardin had extended to him the gift of forgiveness. When Christian missionaries to Alaska first began to minister among the Inuit people, they were surprised to discover the Inuit term for forgiveness. A formidable assemblage of 24 letters, the compound word issumagijoujungnainermik is a beautiful expression which means not-being-able-to-think-about-it-any more. Implied in this term is the notion that the one who forgives will also forget. — What a freeing thought! Forgiveness is a noble gift, and when it is authentically offered and genuinely received, it never ceases to stir a certain amazement in the human heart. (Sanchez Files). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
2) Forgiveness did what Justice could not do: Do you remember the movie, “Dead Man Walking” (1995)? It was based on the book of the same name published in 1993, depicting the counseling experiences of Sister Helen Prejean, a Sister of St. Joseph, who worked in prison ministry in Louisiana and was a long-time campaigner against the death penalty in the United States. The story is about her relationship with a criminal named Robert Willie and with one of his victims, Debbie Morris. Willie and a friend of his were convicted of going on an eight-day crime spree in which they kidnapped three eighteen-year-olds. They molested and murdered one girl, sexually assaulted another, and beat up a third. Debbie’s boyfriend was tortured, shot and paralyzed. Debbie Morris survived and Willie was executed. Because of those traumatic events, Debbie Morris was in agony for years and could not forgive Robert Willie for his crimes. For eighteen years after the incident, her life was filled with anxiety. She didn’t have an hour in which she was free of torment. She was filled with anger and hatred for everything and everybody. She hated her mother for letting her go out that night; she hated God for letting this happen to her; and needless to say, she hated Robert Willie. Sister Helen counseled her, and finally, after eighteen years, Debbie Morris found the strength to forgive Robert Willie. Debbie is now married, has two children, and is doing very well. She wrote in an article entitled “Forgiving the Dead Man Walking”: “By forgiving Robert Willie, I in no way absolve him of the responsibility for what he did. But the refusal to forgive him meant that I held on to my pain, my shame, and my self-pity. Justice didn’t do a thing to heal me. Forgiveness did.” — When we hear today’s Gospel we are tempted to ask: “Is Jesus serious about his teaching on forgiveness? Does Jesus expect us to subject ourselves to physical abuse and actually enjoy it? Is he saying that to defend oneself against physical attack is a sin? What does he mean when he tells us to “turn the other cheek?” Debbie Morris would answer, “Justice didn’t heal me. But forgiveness did.” Jesus is completely serious when he tells us to love our enemies and forgive them, showing them that God’s justice lies in His mercy. That’s what he tells us in today’s Gospel. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
3) The Marines could blast him to “kingdom come.” A little girl came home from Sunday School and asked her father if she could send a note to Osama Bin Laden. “Why him?” asked her startled father. “Because,” said the little girl, “if Mr. Bin Laden got a nice note from a little American girl, maybe he’d think that we’re not all bad and he might start liking us a little. And then maybe he’d write a note back and come out of his cave and talk to people about our differences.” “Suzie,” said the proud father, “that’s a wonderful idea. “ ”Yes,” said Suzie, “and once he’s out of the cave, the Marines could blast him to kingdom come.” — I hope Suzie didn’t get that idea at Sunday School. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
4) The Jews eating a five-cornered cake to remember Hitler?: One day long ago, when things were looking darkest for the free world, a man named Adolph Hitler was addressing a large audience in Germany. On the front row sat a man of pronounced Semitic appearance. Following his address, Hitler came down from the platform, walked up to this man and said: “While I was speaking you were laughing. What were you laughing about?” The man replied, “I was not laughing, I was thinking. “” What were you thinking about?” asked Hitler. “I was thinking about my people, the Jews, and that you are not the first man who didn’t like us. A long time ago there was another man who didn’t like us. His name was Pharaoh and he put heavy burdens on us down there in Egypt. But for years we Jews have had a feast called Passover and at that feast we have a little three-cornered cake and we eat that cake in memory of Pharaoh. “Years later there was another man who didn’t like us. His name was Haman and he did his best to get rid of all the Jews throughout the realm of King Ahasuerus. But for years we Jews have had another feast called the feast of Purim and at that feast we have a little four-cornered cake and we eat that cake in memory of Haman. “And while you were up there speaking, sir, I was sitting here thinking and wondering what kind of a cake we were going to eat to remember you by. “ (John A. Redhead, Jr., The Past Speaks to the Future–50 Years of the Protestant Hour (Nashville: Abingdon, 1995).) — How shall we treat our enemies? This Jewish gentleman was on the right track. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
5) “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands.” There was once a shepherd boy who became a legendary soldier. But, after a brief time of service, he made a very powerful enemy. The shepherd boy was named David. The powerful enemy was a King of Israel, named Saul. You remember the story. The crowds chanted, “Saul has killed his thousands; David has killed his ten thousands.” (I Samuel 18:7) And Saul was consumed with envy and hatred. He chased David all over the wilderness, seeking to take his life. On one occasion, in the Desert of Ziph, Saul took three thousand soldiers with him for the express purpose of hunting David down and killing him. It was on this mission that, one night while Saul was sleeping, David slipped into his tent under the cover of dark. There lay David’s enemy asleep with his spear stuck in the ground near his head. A soldier who had accompanied David on this clandestine mission said to him, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of my spear . . .” But David would have none of it. In his eyes, Saul was God’s anointed. So David took the spear and water jug near Saul’s head, and they left. Then David crossed over to the other side and stood on top of the hill some distance away; there was a wide space between them. “Here is the king’s spear,” David shouted. “Let one of your young men come over and get it. The Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and faithfulness. The Lord delivered you into my hands today, but I would not lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed.” Interesting insight into David’s character: David was not always merciful to his enemies, but at least on this occasion, David’s Faith in God was more important than either his desire for vengeance or his concern for his own safety, so he spared Saul’s life. –How shall we treat our enemy? (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
6) Fatwa against Salman Rushdie and Barbie dolls: You may remember when writer Salman Rushdie first gained the public eye because he had a bounty on his head. Why? For writing words critical of the Prophet, even though he is a Moslem himself. It was a harsh reminder that you can be killed in some parts of the world just for asking questions or expressing doubts. Of course, there was a time when that was true in the Christian world, too, but we conveniently forget that. It was amusing to read that Islamic fundamentalists in Kuwait recently issued a fatwa against Barbie dolls. “This she-devil has polished nails and wears skirts above the knee,” says Kuwait’s College of Islamic Sharia. “The fatwa against Barbie commences immediately.” That seems a little extreme. It’s not the first time, of course, the Gulf has banned Western products. Last year Saudi Arabia and Iran barred satellite dishes–for the sinful images they import. Thirty years ago Saudi Arabia’s senior religious authority declared the earth was flat and outlawed globes. (Newsweek, April 24, 1995, p. 6.) — Itis very difficult for us to relate to such a religion. And yet, relate to it we must. For, if we do not, if we hate people simply because of their religion, we become exactly like the people who hate us so much. If we return evil for evil, what separates us from sinners? asks Jesus. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
7) “Juda Ben Hur, you have become a Massala.” Some of you will remember an epic Hollywood motion picture titled Ben Hur, starring Charlton Heston. You may remember it for the exciting chariot race at the end. At the time Ben Hur was the most expensive Hollywood movie ever made. In the movie, based on a Lew Wallace book, an old friend named Massala has become Juda Ben Hur’s enemy. Because of Massala’s evil doing, Ben Hur is captured and forced into service down in the galley of a slave ship. Meanwhile, his mother and sister are sent off to prison. Ben Hur loses contact with them and later is told that they are dead. Juda Ben Hur, returns to Israel intent on one thing–revenge. Because of Massala, he has lost everything. And now he lives for one thing, to avenge himself upon Massala. This passion consumes Ben Hur to such an extent that his sweetheart, Esther, looking into his tortured eyes exclaims, “Juda Ben Hur, you have become a Massala.” — That’s what hatred does to us. It is impossible to have the Spirit of Christ within us and at the same time to have a spirit of hatred for any other human being. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
8) “We must realize that we are all family.” TV news reporter Peter Arnett was visiting the West Bank in Israel when a bomb exploded in the middle of town. He was surrounded by anguished screams and clouds of smoke. A man holding an injured girl ran up to Peter and asked for a ride to a hospital. As they sped through the streets, the man nursed the bloody girl in the backseat. The doctors did everything to save the girl’s life, but to no avail. Peter turned to comfort the man on the loss of his child, but the man interrupted him. She wasn’t his child, he said. She was a Palestinian. He was Israeli. He found her lying in the street and decided to help. — “Mister,” he said through his tears, “there must come a time when we realize that we are all family.” (Tony Campolo, Let Me Tell You a Story (Nashville: Word Publishing, 2000), pp. 120-121.) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
9) The Bishop’s silver candlesticks: One of the most successful musicals of the past forty years has been Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Les Miserables, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo. The main character of Les Miserables is Jean Valjean. Orphaned as a boy, Valjean reaches his teens only to take on the responsibility of caring for his widowed sister and her seven children. All his work couldn’t pull his sister and her family out of poverty, and so one day a desperate Valjean steals a loaf of bread from a baker’s shop, to keep the children from starving. He is soon arrested and thrown in jail, where his young heart becomes hardened with anger and hatred. After spending half his life in prison, Valjean is released to a world that doesn’t want him. His criminal past causes him to be rejected and ostracized everywhere he goes. Finally, he stumbles on the house of a kindly Bishop. The Bishop treats Valjean with kindness, feeding him and allowing him to spend the night at his house. That night, Valjean is restless, still battling the anger and bitterness in his heart. He leaves the house that night, stealing all the bishop’s fine silver utensils. The next day, soldiers come to the bishop’s house with Valjean in tow. They have found the silver, and are ready to throw him in jail. But the bishop greets Valjean with gladness and insists that he freely gave him the silver. The soldiers release their trembling prisoner and leave. Valjean, in disbelief, accepts the gift of the silver from the bishop. He cannot understand why this man would tell a lie to save someone like himself. —- His answer comes when the kindly bishop announces, “Jean Valjean, my brother, you no longer belong to the evil, but to good. I have bought your soul for you. I withdrew it from black thoughts and the spirit of hate, and gave it to God.” And Jean Valjean leaves the bishop’s house a changed man changed by a man who treated him with favor. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
10) “I have no choice but to love and forgive the man who murdered my mother.” A few years ago the small town of Palm Bay, Florida, experienced a deep community trauma. A crazed alcoholic filled his pockets with high-powered ammunition. Then, taking a semiautomatic rifle, he walked into a crowded shopping center and started killing people at random. By the time he was finally chased into a grocery store (where he held a young woman hostage for several hours before the police persuaded him to give up), he had killed six people and wounded a dozen more some seriously. Emotions ran high. One of the ladies killed was a sixty-eight-year-old saint who worked in a Church nursery. People were confused. What role did justice play in this kind of situation? Forgiveness? Each person had to arrive at his own conclusion. — But Sandy Thompson, the daughter of the slain woman, made a deliberate decision not to hate. “If I hate him,” she told her pastor, “I am also a murderer.” She said, “Jesus said, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.’ (Mt 5:21-22). He also said: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: ‘Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.’ (Mt 5:43-44) Therefore,” said Sandy Thompson, “I have no choice but to love and forgive the man who murdered my mother.” [Jamie Buckingham, Parables (Milton Keynes, England: Word Publishing, 1991), p. 39.] (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
11) “We are not advocating violence. We must love our enemies.” On January 30, 1956, Martin Luther King, Jr. came home from a meeting to find his home had been bombed while his wife and children were inside. Crowds full of anger swarmed in the front yard. After a while, Dr. King came out to address the crowd. — This is what he said: “We are not advocating violence. We must love our enemies. What we are doing is just, and God will be with us.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
12) “We shall pray for who have perhaps already raised their hands to kill us.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer—World War II—fighting Hitler, decided to leave the safety of this country and to go back to Germany and lead a Church in the resistance movement against the Nazi regime. It cost him his life. But Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes in that great book The Cost of Discipleship, “We are approaching an age of widespread persecution. Our adversaries seek to root out the Christian Church because they cannot live side by side with us. So what shall we do? We shall pray. It will be a prayer of earnest love for those who stand around and gaze at us with eyes aflame with hatred, and who have perhaps already raised their hands to kill us.” — What will we do? We can pray. Why not? Why not a better way of life? (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
13) “Blood never loses its color.” On Dec. 24, 1994, a young Albanian man by the name of Isaj was murdered. The police didn’t investigate the crime, even though they knew who the killer was: Isaj’s close friend, Rasim. Why didn’t the police arrest Rasim? Because it was a revenge killing, and revenge killings are part of the basic moral code in Albania. The basic moral code of Albania comes from the Kanun, a centuries-old book of folk laws. The Kanun calls for brutal revenge if a man has been injured or his honor has been insulted. Forgiveness and reconciliation are not options. If a man refuses to kill another man in a blood feud, then he loses all honor in Albanian society. A quote from the Kanun reads, “Blood never loses its color.” — Revenge is natural; love is Christ-like. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
14) “Fratres Pontifices,” the bridge-building brothers. In A.D. 1191, Pope Clement III approved a new guild. Its members included nobles, clergy, and artisans. The work of the guild consisted of clearing dangerous roads for pilgrims and building bridges over rivers and chasms. Members of the guild wore clothing that carried a picture of two things: a cross and a bridge. The guild was called “Fratres Pontifices,” the bridge-building brothers. — And that is who we who follow Jesus are called to be. An Episcopal priest, Dr. Joseph Fort Newton, once commented: “People are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges.” [Edward Chinn, Wonder of Words (Lima, Ohio: C.S.S. Publishing Co., Inc., 1987), p. 22.[ (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
15) “But, I have many bridges to build.” Once upon a time two brothers who lived on adjoining farms fell into conflict. It was the first serious rift in 40 years in farming side by side, sharing machinery, and trading labor and goods as needed, without a hitch. Then the long collaboration fell apart. It began with a small misunderstanding that grew into a major difference, and finally exploded into an exchange of bitter words followed by weeks of silence. One morning there was a knock on John’s door. He opened it to find a man with a carpenter’s toolbox. “I’m looking for a few days work,” he said. “Perhaps you would have a few small jobs here and there. Could I help you?” “Yes,” said the older brother. “I do have a job for you. Look across the creek at that farm. That’s my neighbor, in fact, it’s my younger brother. Last week there was a meadow between us and he took his bulldozer to the river levee and now it is a creek between us. Well, he may have done this to spite me, but I’ll go him one better. See that pile of lumber curing by the barn? I want you to build me a fence–an 8-foot fence so I won’t need to see his place anymore. Cool him down anyhow.” The carpenter said, “I think I understand the situation. Show me the nails and the post hole digger and I’ll be able to do a job that pleases you.” The older brother had to go to town for supplies, so he helped the carpenter get the materials ready and then he was off for the day. The carpenter worked hard all that day measuring, sawing, nailing. About sunset when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job. The farmer’s eyes opened wide, and his jaw dropped. There was no fence there at all. It was a bridge, a bridge stretching from one side of the creek to the other. A fine piece of work–handrails and all–and the neighbor, his younger brother, was coming across, his hand outstretched. “You are quite a fellow to build this bridge after all I’ve said and done.” The two brothers stood at each end of the bridge and then they met in the middle, took each other’s hands. They turned to see the carpenter hoist his toolbox on his shoulder, “No wait, stay a few days. I’ve a lot of other projects for you,” said the older brother. — “I’d love to stay on,” the carpenter said, “but, I have many bridges to build.” (Source: www.swanlake.twoffice.com via http://www.witandwisdom.org ) — Christ, of course, is the ultimate bridge builder. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
16) In The Godfather II, Michael Corleone preaches the following principle: “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer yet.”– Powerful information is wrapped up in criticism. You will always learn more from your enemies than from your friends. Enemies can provide a largely untapped source of truth; they give us tips, either about us or (if the critique is off-base), about those who criticize us. Either way we receive valuable information. Proverbs 23:12 can be translated as: “Don’t refuse to accept criticism; get all the help you can.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
17) In search of mother’s murderer: A number of years ago, The New York Times Magazine told the story of Nicholas Gage and his mother Eleni. Eleni was a Greek peasant who smuggled her son out of the village before he could be “re-educated” by the Communist party. As a result, she was tortured and murdered on August 28, 1948. Thirty-two years later, her son quit his job as a reporter for the New York Times. He devoted his time and money to finding his mother’s killer. He sifted through government cover-ups and false leads. Eventually he found the person who ordered Eleni’s death. His name was Katis. In a moving account, he tells of going up the path to a seaside cottage, where he sees Katis, fast asleep. He stood and looked at the man who had killed his mother. But as he pondered his revenge, Gage remembered how his mother did not spend the last moments cursing her tormentors; rather, she faced death with courage because she had done her duty to those she loved. “I could have killed Katis,” he confessed. “It would have given me relief from the pain that had filled me for so many years. But as much as I want that satisfaction, I have learned that I can’t do it. My mother’s love, the primary impulse of her life, still binds us together, often surrounding me like a tangible presence. Summoning the hate to kill my enemy would have severed that bridge connecting us. It would have destroyed the part of me that is most like my mother.” (New York Times Magazine 3 April 1983: 20.) — Gage prowled all over Greece, looking to treat somebody else as he felt his mother had been treated. He spent his money trying to give the enemy a taste of his own medicine. Instead he was interrupted by love, a mother’s love that made sacrifices for him, a love that was not withheld even in the face of certain death, a love like the love of Christ on the cross. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
18) “Remember Mr. Denny had brain damage …” Do you remember Reginald Denny who was beaten senseless, almost to death, in Los Angeles? The attack on Reginald Denny was an incident in the 1993 Los Angeles riots in which Reginald Denny, a white construction truck driver, was beaten nearly to death by a group of black assailants who came to be known as the “L.A. Four”. We remember the trial, the riots, and the controversy. — But do you remember the fact that in the courtroom he was with the families of those who had beaten him? He had gathered together with them in their homes and had gotten to know them because he realized the only hope for the world was for us to forgive our aggressors. Outside the courtroom, after Denny pronounced forgiveness on those who harmed him, one newspaper man simply said, “Remember Mr. Denny had brain damage …” So, we call someone brain-damaged who simply follows the command to love our enemies! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Reginald_Denny). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
19) “I threw the brick because no one else would stop!” A number of years back, a young and very successful executive was travelling down a suburban street in his brand-new black jaguar. Suddenly a brick was thrown from the sidewalk, thumping into the side of the car. Brakes slammed! Gears ground into reverse, and tires madly spun the Jaguar back to the spot from where the brick had been thrown. The driver jumped out, grabbed the kid who had thrown the brick and pushed him up against a parked car. “What was that all about?!” he screamed. “That’s my new Jag, that brick you threw is gonna cost you a lot of money!” “Please, mister, please …. I’m sorry! I didn’t know what else to do!” pleaded the youngster. “I threw the brick because no one else would stop!” Tears were dripping down the boy’s chin as he pointed around the parked car. “It’s my brother, mister,” he said. “He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can’t lift him up.” Sobbing, the boy asked the executive, “Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He’s hurt and he’s too heavy for me.” The mood was transformed in a moment as the young executive realized what had occurred. He lifted the young man into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the scrapes and cuts. He then watched as the younger brother pushed him down the sidewalk toward their home –Unfortunately, that story is all too common. Without knowing all the facts, we all make judgments about people all the time. And what is really unfortunate, is that judgments like that are all too common in the Church. The Christian churches have a bad reputation as a bunch of judgmental hypocrites, don’t we? (Rev. Don Jaques). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
20) “He just ran over three motorcycles on his way out of the parking lot.” Late one summer evening a weary truck driver pulled his rig into an all-night service station to get some food. The waitress had just served him when three tough looking, leather jacketed motorcyclists – of the Hell’s Angels type – decided to give him a hard time. Not only did they verbally abuse him, one grabbed the hamburger off his plate, another took a handful of his chips, and the third picked up his coffee and began to drink it. How would you respond? Well, this trucker did not respond as one might expect. Instead, he calmly rose, picked up his bill and walked to the front of the restaurant, paid his bill and went out the door. The waitress followed him to put the money in the cash register and stood watching out the door as the big truck drove away into the night. When she returned, one of the bikers said to her, “Well, he’s not much of a man, is he?” She replied, “I don’t know about that, but he sure ain’t much of a truck driver. He just ran over three motorcycles on his way out of the parking lot.” — We laugh at that because that is what we’d like to do to those who make life difficult for us. When someone does something to us, our first instinct is to get back at them! Our first instinct is to make them pay and to hurt as much as they hurt us. But that is not what Jesus would have us do. In Luke 6, Jesus gives us a different response to have. What would Jesus have us do to our enemies? He tells us we are to LOVE THEM. (Rev. David Elvery). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
21) Arab girl with Jewish kidney: On February 4 in the year 2007, the ABC re-broadcast a program documenting the moving story of Marsha Gladstone, a Jewish woman from Scotland. When a bus in Tel Aviv was shattered in a suicide bombing, Marsha’s 19-year-old son Yoni Jesner was critically injured. Yoni never regained consciousness, and before he died, the family agreed to make some of his organs available for transplant. The decision to donate helped them to find some meaning in this senseless tragedy. The subsequent revelation that one of Yoni’s kidneys had saved the life of Yasmin Rumeilah, a seven-year-old Palestinian girl, came as quite a shock to the family. It had simply never occurred to this Jewish family that a child of the “enemy’ would become the beneficiary of Yoni’s gift. — A year after Yoni’s death and at considerable personal cost, Marsha visited Yasmin and her family in their home in the West Bank. The Jewish mother who had lost her son embraced the Palestinian mother whose child lives with gratitude in her heart for the young Jewish man who gave her another chance at life and whom she now refers to as her “˜brother’. There was an extraordinary moment of womb-compassion in the embrace of these two women, one Jewish and the other Muslim. The hatred and misunderstanding of the generations seemed to dissolve in their encounter. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
22) About “dreaming the impossible dream”?That phrase comes from the Joe Darion song in 1965, immortalized by the 1965 stage play about “Don Quixote” and by the 1966 recording by Frank Sinatra. It speaks of an “unbeatable foe,” and suffering “unbearable sorrow,” as well as righting the “unrightable wrong.” The advice that Jesus gives in today’s Gospel is a lot like that. Nevertheless, the only option he offers is that of loving everyone, including our enemies and those who hurt us.
Jesus was aware that only love can stop the cycle of hatred. He knew that only if the “dream” became a reality it would come to fruition. We hear that repeated many times today by civic leaders. For example, Eleanor Roosevelt is quoted as saying “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” President Woodrow Wilson didn’t live to see his “impossible dream” fulfilled of American leadership in a League of Nations; nevertheless, the United Nations was the result of his early vision. Jesus died on the cross for our salvation. He did not see his dream of everyone loving everyone else become a reality. One of my friends, Fr. Jerry Fuller (†) made this comment: “Jesus’ words are what we call `counter-cultural’ in that they go against the philosophy of the world. For instance, in America 70% of the people believe in capital punishment. But Jesus tells us to forgive. A majority look down on welfare people, saying `Let them pull themselves up by their bootstraps like I did.’ If an enemy attacks our family or country, we immediately seek revenge, we certainly don’t turn the other cheek. So where is Jesus coming from? Has he just landed from Mars?” He goes on to say that only when we have Jesus’ words etched in our heart, and live them daily, will we be able to respond as Jesus did. — That is our challenge today, to put on the mind of Jesus, and trust in Him and love like Him! (Father Robert F. McNamara) .
23) “My son, one who slanders a virtuous person is like one who spits at the sky.” But the question that most of us are asking is this: How about if he abuses our love for him or if he does not accept it? What shall we do? You, what are you going to do? Are you going to let him do what he wants? If he abused our love for him, he is like the man who, after he listened to Buddha who talked against returning evil for evil or in our Gospel, ‘a tooth for a tooth’, decided to see if Buddha practiced what he preached. The man shouted all kinds of abuses and slanderous words at the great teacher and called him a stupid fool. Buddha listened patiently. When the man ran out of things to say, Buddha said: “My son, if one declines to accept a gift from another, to whom does the gift go?” “Any fools know that,” the man replied scornfully . “The gift goes back to the giver.” “My son,” said the Buddha, “You have given me much verbal abuse. I decline to accept your gift.” The man was dumbfounded. — Buddha continued, ”My son, one who slanders a virtuous person is like one who spits at the sky. The spittle does not soil the sky. It only comes back to soil the face of the one who spits. Or it is like one who flings dust into the wind. The dust does not reach its target. It only blows back into the face of the man who throws it.”( Quoted by Fr. Bennett).
24) “Then no more spit in soup.” During the Korean War, a group of American GI’s decided to hire a young Korean boy to clean up around the barracks and to prepare meals for them. The boy who they hired had a delightful personality, always upbeat and easy-going. No matter what the soldiers did, he only smiled and continued his work. So the soldiers decided they would compete to see who could make the boy angry by playing practical jokes on him. One time they nailed his shoes to the floor of the barracks. But the boy simply took out some pliers and pulled up the nails. He smiled and kept on with his work. Another time they put a pail of water on the door so that, when the boy came in, the water fell on him and completely drenched him. But he dried himself off, smiled and continued with his chores. They tried one practical joke after another, never with an angry response. Finally, they felt embarrassed about the whole project and decided it needed to stop. So they called the boy in and they said, “You have such a wonderful personality, such a forgiving nature, that we are not going to do any more practical jokes.” The boy said, “No more joke?” “No more,” they said. “No more nail in shoe?” “No more,” they said. “No more water on door?” “No more,” they said. “Good,” the boy said, “then no more spit in soup.” This story presents the alternative principle to Jesus’ teaching. (Fr. George Smiga).
25) Friedrich Nietzsche and Sigmond Freud: While the mind of Friedrich Nietzsche was unraveling as the last century ended, Freud’s was taut, wrapped around the mystery of unconscious human behavior. Both thinkers are now celebrated as the great unmaskers of motivation. They spread the awful news that we humans are not as nice as we think. Under our seeming civility and tidy-mindedness lurks a raging thirst for power hunkered down around an oven of anger and lust that Freud dubbed the “id.” Civilization, to Nietzsche’s disgust and Freud’s approval, supposedly tamed those feral impulses, yet both men suspected that the cooker of repression would explode. Politically, world wars and holocausts—as recent as events in Rwanda [1994]—seem to have confirmed their frightening visions. In academic circles Nietzsche and Freud are lionized as prophets of deconstruction. And in mean streets, will and power work their ruthless ways. What does all this have to do with the word of God? It suggests how dissimilar God’s word is to our own. (Fr. John Kavanaugh, SJ)
“Scriptural Homilies” Cycle C(No. 16) by Fr. Tony: akadavil@gmail.com
Visit also https://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homilies under Fr. Tony’s homilies and under Resources in the CBCI website: https://www.cbci.in for other website versions. (Vatican Radio website: http://www.vaticannews.va/en/church.html uploaded my Cycle A, B and C homilies in from 2018-2020) Fr. Anthony Kadavil, Chaplain, Sacred Heart Residence of the Little Sisters of the Poor, 1655 McGill Ave, Mobile, AL 36604 .
Fr Tony's Homilies 