February 23, 2025 at Saint William Catholic Church in Naples, FL
Samuel 26 2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23 + Psalm 103 + 1 Corinthians 15: 45-49 + Luke 6: 27-38
The most important issue today is how to resist evil without doing further evil in the process. It is easy to think that we are doing what Jesus commands by not doing any harm to an enemy. That thinking is a long way from what Jesus says. Watering down what he says will not do. It’s not a wish or a recommendation. It is a command.
This world operates by different rules. This world says: “Do unto others before they can do unto you.” The system at work these days would like to convince us that the only way to get ahead is to get there first and grab all you can. That’s the way it works most of the time. So, we proclaim this Gospel in a world and in a nation that loves to play the victim, and the victim’s natural response is revenge, because victims are always blaming others. The urge to get revenge has distorted our justice system to the point that we have confused justice with punishment. They are not the same thing. Justice means giving each person what is their due, and Jesus Christ teaches us that what all of us are due mercy, understanding, and forgiveness.
The victim mentality cannot accept the Gospel. It is quick to judge others lacking empathy for their problems, and sees no point in trying to change. The only way out is accountability, and that is what Jesus asks of us. Revenge and retaliation only add darkness to darkness. A vindictive attitude is poison. Revenge may satisfy one’s rage, but it leaves the heart empty. When Jesus tells us to forgive our enemies, it is not for the sake of the enemy. It is for our own sake because love is more beautiful than hate. The only way violence and hatred can be put out of this world is if we choose to do so.
None of us can see into the mind and heart of another. We may see the deed, but cannot see the motive behind the deed. As much as we might fool ourselves, we never really know all the facts, and the humble, knowing that truth are never quick to judge. All of this judgement and victim behavior comes about because we keep comparing ourselves to others. It is God with whom we must compare ourselves. God’s selfless love must be our motivation for loving others even though we will never quite match the depth and the breadth of that love. Our life as a disciple of Jesus Christ is about practice, not theory. It is about doing, not saying. It is a way of walking not a way of talking. It is about mercy and hope, forgiveness and peace.