FORGIVENESS AND RECONCILIATION ARE THE ROAD TO PEACE

VII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 6:27-38

Saul and David were quite different in their character and their approach to life. Being a king, Saul would like to be recognised as the best in everything. All the others should live in the shadow of his glory and no one else should try to excel in his presence. When the young David offered himself to go alone against Goliath (1 Sam 17), using an easy and clever way to defeat him, the crowds rejoiced and sang his praises. Saul, instead of rejoicing with the achievement of the young man, was filled with resentment and, in a moment of rage, he tried to murder David. Filled with jealousy, Saul could not find peace and started living in a semi-permanent state of depression. David had to run for his life, being able to find companions, organising with them a small army to protect themselves and he became the enemy which Saul went after with his army. However, as a former shepherd, David knew well the mountains of Judah and was able to escape. It was in this seek and hide, that an extraordinary event took place, which reveals David’s character. Saul decided to set camp with his army and overconfident in his power, neglected his own security, making it possible for David to approach him. His deputy Abishai wanted there and then to strike down Saul, but David would not allow it. David had put all his confidence in the Lord and preferred to leave his vengeance in the hands of the Lord. Revenge leads to violence and destroys the pursuit of justice. Forgiveness is the only way to reconciliation, not only at the personal level but also between communities and even between states. Saul allowed himself to become a violent man, which led to his self-destruction. 

In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus speaks of a love so strong that gives us the strength and the wisdom to love the enemies. Such love becomes possible only if we learn from God and allow ourselves to be guided by his Spirit. The story of the relationship between Saul and David is a very good introduction to Jesus’ speech on a forgiving love. 

In the book of Leviticus, God proposes to his people an ideal which is a rule of life: "Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy" (Lev 19: 2). In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus actualizes this ideal by telling the disciples. "Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Mt 5:48). And in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus becomes even more concrete, stating the implications of this ideal: "Be merciful, as your Father is merciful." This means that it is impossible to be holy or to reach perfection without being merciful. And being merciful means being willing to forgive and reconcile with the enemy. Jesus gives concrete indications of how to be merciful: Judge not! Do not condemn! Forgive! If we call ourselves and are children of God, we must be like Him, He "who is good even to the unthankful and the wicked." It is as if Jesus left us an impossible task, but we can find everywhere people who bear witness that forgiveness and reconciliation are the only way to peace. And there are politicians who have understood that.

Let us not forget: "the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given back.”

BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO PUT THEIR TRUST IN THE LORD

VI SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 6:17,20-26

In this Sunday’s liturgy, the first reading is like an introduction to the gospel. Jeremiah speaks of two possible attitudes towards God, with completely different consequences. We may put our trust in the Lord, thus being blessed and always bearing plenty of fruit or we may rely on the things that surround us and put our trust on our human capacity and our human endeavours, ending up in disaster. Jeremiah doesn’t beat about the bush, but hits the nail on the head:

“A curse on the man who puts his trust in man,

who relies on things of flesh,

whose heart turns from the Lord.”

Before God, we become aware of our own weaknesses and shortcomings, but we do not lose hope since we know that God is by our side and we experience his love and his care. If we turn our backs on God, then we are left to ourselves and soon will come to our wits’ end, in such a way that “if good comes, he has no eyes for it”.

Putting all our trust in human intelligence, we become confident that science will solve all problems and will bring in the fulfilment of all our dreams. However, this optimism may be followed very soon by pessimism, because as it solves a few problems, it creates bigger ones and we may end destroying ourselves and the world we live in. It is as if we curse ourselves when we turn our backs to God and concentrate our gaze on our navel.

In the gospel, Jesus presents two situations with two completely different destinies.

How happy are you who are poor: yours is the kingdom of God. Happy you who are hungry now: you shall be satisfied. Happy you who weep now: you shall laugh. Happy are you when people hate you, drive you out, abuse you, denounce your name as criminal, on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice when that day comes and dance for joy, for then your reward will be great in heaven. This was the way their ancestors treated the prophets.

Alas for you who are rich: you are having your consolation now. Alas for you who have your fill now: you shall go hungry. Alas for you who laugh now: you shall mourn and weep. Alas for you when the world speaks well of you! This was the way their ancestors treated the false prophets.’

These two different destinies are the result of our choices in life and we make our choices according to what we value. All of us long for happiness and are ready to try different kinds of recipes so that we get it. Soon we will discover that there are no human recipes. Riches and power will not bring it and going after all forms of pleasure will not satisfy us. Only the search for truth and goodness, done with trust in the Lord will make life worth living.

Psalm 1 puts it very clearly:

Happy indeed is the man

  who follows not the counsel of the wicked;

nor lingers in the way of sinners

  nor sits in the company of scorners,

but whose delight is the law of the Lord

  and who ponders his law day and night.

In which way are we going to live our lives? Let us put our trust in the Lord.

WHOM SHALL I SEND?

V SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Isaiah 6:1-2,3-8

This Sunday’s readings give us two stories of vocation: the vocation of Isaiah and the vocation of Simon Peter. We can read them in parallel in order to discover the similarities and differences. In Isaiah, we are presented with a theophany, in which God manifests himself in all his glory. Like a king, surrounded by his entourage, God is seated in a high throne in his royal hall, while his praises are being sung. The words of that song have reverberated through the ages and we still go on singing them: 

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts.

His glory fills the whole earth.”

As we sing these words, we must become aware that we are in communion with all the generations that came before us and we must sing them with the same sense of awe that filled the heart of Isaiah.

In the Gospel (Lk 5:1-11), everything happened in a simple way. Jesus is presented preaching the word of God and being surrounded by crowds, with the noise, the pushing and the tussling that always happen in such situations. Jesus seems lost in the middle of the crowd and, seeing two boats, he decided to ask for help. He entered into Simon’s boat, “sat down and taught the crowds from the boat”. Here, we find nothing of the glory contemplated by Isaiah. There, God was surrounded by his heavenly court; here, Jesus is surrounded by the most common people, mainly the ones who experience suffering and who look for healing and for salvation. In a way, Simon and his friends represent the whole crowd: they worked in vain, and now they feel tired and exhausted. They would go home empty handed, have a time of rest and then return to the same struggle, doing battle with the waves and the unpredictable sea.

When Jesus finished teaching, he ordered Simon to go out into deep water and to cast the nets for a catch of fish. Simon expressed his disappointment with the results of a night’s work but complied with Jesus’ request. And that brought in a big surprise, that filled him with awe and led him to an attitude similar to the one of Isaiah. In God’s presence and faced with His manifestation, Isaiah recognised his unworthiness. Being  “a man of unclean lips” and living “among a people of unclean lips”, he felt lost. Simon made a similar experience of being in the presence of the divine in a completely different environment, where the extraordinary emerges from the common and blends with the ordinary; and his reaction was the same: “Leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man”. In God’s presence, with his light piercing our hearts, we are made to see our sinful situation. The first reaction may be one of fear and unworthiness; however, that is always followed by a reassuring word. Isaiah was purified by the fire of God’s love and Simon heard Jesus’ comforting words: “Do not be afraid”.

Then, as if in need of help, God made a question which is at the same time a request: “Whom shall I send? Who will be our messenger?” Isaiah gave a clear answer: “Here I am, send me”. And he became one of the greatest prophets. Those words are being repeated and being heard today when there is a big shortage of messengers. How are we going to answer? Simon behaved like Isaiah. Jesus promised him and his companions that they would catch men instead of fish. “Then, bringing their boats back to land, they left everything and followed him”. Are we ready to follow him? Are we ready to become fishers of men? What is going to be our answer?

THERE IS FAITH, HOPE AND LOVE. AND THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE

IV SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13

Chapter 13 of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians is one of the true gems of the New Testament. Indeed, the Hymn of Love is one of the most beautiful and profound passages of the writings of St. Paul. It is part of the discussion on the charisms or gifts which we receive from the Holy Spirit. Paul makes it clear that all charisms are meaningless without love. Only love makes them gifts at the service of the community, building up the body of Christ. Without love, the charisms easily become an exercise in selfishness and a show-off. And this selfish attitude may taint gifts so important as prophecy and faith. Love is the crown of all gifts. This implies that on our own, no matter the effort we make, we cannot achieve true love. Only God, who is love, can teach us how to love, giving us the grace to love with his love. 

Speaking of love, we should be aware that words are always acquiring new shades of meaning, even though they are related. Nowadays, when the word love is heard - and it is being heard time and time again - many people will think immediately of passionate love and a sexual relationship. Many people may understand love as sexual love. 

The Greeks knew well that there are different types of love and they had different words to name them. Thus eros was used for passionate and sexual love; philia was the love of friendship; storge was the love within the family, the love between parents and children; and agape - word which was adopted by the Christians - to express a universal and free love, an unconditional love, which comes from God and is addressed to the others whoever they may be. Even for the Greeks, the passionate love (eros) could and should grow into philia and storge, giving it a deeper meaning. If the love between two people remains only at the level of passion, then it easily falls prey of selfishness, looking only for personal gratification.

In his letter, Paul used the word agape, implying the highest instance of love, which may include all other types of love, validating them and giving them truth and depth. Agape is a selfless love, by which I commit myself to be at the service of the other. And Paul presents the qualities of this love - fifteen qualities, eight presented negatively and seven positively:

“Love 

is patient 

and kind; 

love does not envy 

or boast; 

it is not arrogant 

or rude. 

It does not insist on its own way; 

it is not irritable 

or resentful; 

it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, 

but rejoices with the truth. 

Love bears all things, 

believes all things, 

hopes all things, 

endures all things.”

This kind of love makes me discover that I find my happiness when I strive to make others happy. When I allow God’s love to take possession of my heart, then my heart finds peace, filling me with a deep inner joy.

This love is eternal as God himself. Faith and hope will disappear. “Now we are seeing a dim reflection in a mirror, but then we shall be seeing face to face. The knowledge that I have now is imperfect, but then I shall know as fully as I am known. In short, there are three things that last: faith, hope and love; and the greatest of these is love.”

May the Lord send his Spirit upon us and fill our hearts with his love, so that his love is always present in our lives, leading us to be witnesses of God’s love in our relationships with the others.