7th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Fr. Simham)
When someone hates you, you have two choices: you can hate them back or you can refuse to hate. When someone hurts you, you can respond in two ways: you can hurt them back or you can refuse to hurt. The people who hurt and hate us do not deserve our love and forgiveness. We cannot help but ask, “Why does Jesus want us to do something that is so difficult? Why is he so insistent that we love our enemies?”
The first reading of today shows the nobility of David. After David defeated Goliath, he became popular in the sight of people and even in some battles David brought victor to Saul against his enemies. He has done nothing but good to king Saul. When people started to praise David by saying David killed ten thousand and Saul killed one thousand then Saul, got jealousy of David and he twice tried to kill him with a spear and even he stationed him in his army so that the Philistines could kill him. in today’s second reading we heard, Saul was seeking to kill David. In a reversal, though, David has a chance to kill Saul. He refused to do it, though, thus demonstrating God’s mercy and compassion.
In today’s gospel Jesus makes it clear that if we wish to be his disciples, we must refuse to hate, refuse to hurt. Now this teaching to love our enemies, to follow the golden rule is the most difficult of all Jesus’ teachings. Jesus’ words challenge those who would follow him to be more like God. God loves us beyond our expectations, beyond anything we can possibly imagine. In response to God’s love, we are to love as God loves, beyond expectations and with a depth beyond imagining.
Jesus commands us to love everyone, even our enemies. We cannot be his disciples as long as we exclude even a single person from our love. He does not command something which he himself did not do. He died on the cross praying for those who crucified him. to love those who cause harm is the real test of Christian life. Jesus puts us to test each time we recite the our father. When putting on our lips the words “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us”. No one can escape the test. We either pass it successfully or badly fain in it. Loving our enemies means is to forgive, to wish and to do good to those who cause us harm, to sincerely pray for them and ask God to bless them. Our love for our neighbor must resemble God’s love. It must extend to everyone. it should not be measured out. we must bestow it without expecting early reward.
The reward for love is not something, but someone God himself
Fr. Showreelu Simham