7^th Sunday in O.T. (C); February 24, 2019

1 Sam 26: 2,7…23 Ps 103 1 Cor 15:45-49   Lk 6:27-38

Deacon Jim McFadden; St. John the Baptist C.C.

 

            The Sermon of the Mount, which may be construed as Jesus’ State of the Kingdom address, is in two parts: (1) the Beatitudes, which describes what it’s like to live in the Kingdom of God and (2) the Mystery of Forgiveness, which is a absolute imperative if we’re going to be in right relationship with God and our brothers and sisters. Listen:

“I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you”

(Lk 6:27-28). At a down-to-earth, gut-level, do we really believe this teaching—do we strive to live it? Or, do we consider it to be simplistic, not very practical, even absurd, and impossible?

If we answer the latter, have we become so jaded that we’ve given into the world that operates under a different consciousness: do unto others before they can do unto you! When people hurts us, pay them back by inflicting pain. Don’t give an inch: seek vengeance. Hit them where it hurts. Withdraw into your shell, where you can be impregnable—where you won’t be vulnerable to anyone. No one can hurt me because I am in control. These sentiments are pervasive throughout our society, as we see them played in the upper echelons of our government, not to mention in the affairs of the ordinary man or woman. Have we become convinced that the only way to survive in this world is to assume a defensive stance?

So, when we stand before Jesus’ teachings, we’re simply dumbstruck. What can this man mean? Who can live this way? Jesus’ teachings will seem unrealistic unless we’re grafted onto Christ Jesus, which happened at our Baptism. As St. Paul writes in his letter to the Colossians, that Jesus “…is the image of the invisible God” (Col 1:15), which entails that “I am THE life” (Jn 14:6). Once we make that shift, then we can understand his teaching; it makes sense because it flows from his divine nature which he shares with his Father and the Holy Spirit. Since we are made in the image of God, who is Love, then this teaching should resonate at a very deep level, which means we give ourselves to it without reservations.

But, we struggle to do so. When we’ve been deeply hurt, we probably experience anger, which can express itself in various forms—withdrawing, seething, or exploding. It can become calcified in the form of resentment. It can go underground and hold its breath until it erupts in rage. It can take the desire for revenge. Revenge and resentment, if left unchecked are dangerous, because they can become transformed into more complex emotions of anxiety, stress, or depression. If we don’t break the cycle, if we don’t forgive those who have hurt us, we are allowing ourselves to be possessed by an inner tyrant of rage. Failure to say, “I forgive you,” holds us frozen in the past. Dante Alighieri in his Divine Comedy, described those in Hell as being frozen for all eternity. Similarly, an old Chinese proverb says if a person cannot forgive and opts for revenge, he should dig two graves—one for the offender and one for himself.

When Jesus calls us to forgive, he is moving us towards the Truth of who we are, which is a beloved child of God by adaption who lives in the world of imperfection. Living in the Kingdom of God presumes that in our interactions with others conflict will be inevitable. Why? We are limited and can make mistakes; we can hurt others and be hurt ourselves. People who live in the Kingdom don’t try to avoid conflict, they seek to resolve conflicts and heal hurts whenever these occur. To forgive someone truly is to recognize that they are also a beloved child of God and are our brothers and sisters. When we admit to that and affirm who they are, we will move to a conscious choice today of forgiving them for a past action so that we may have a future together. When we do that, we release them from the past and allow their best version of themselves to be brought out: this can only be done in the presence of an accepting and believing person. Forgiveness is basically an act of believing in another person and not allowing that person to be destroyed by self-hatred. Forgiveness involves helping people uncover their self-worth, which is usually crusted over with self-hatred.

When we forgive, we are participating in the very life of the Trinity. Notice what happens when God forgives us. In the act of forgiveness, God gives us back our dignity and self-worth. Haven’t we experienced that when we participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation? Isn’t God being loyal to the truth of who we are? God affirms that despite our imperfections, that at our core we are basically good persons who have sinned. God asserts that we are not bad. Indeed, he reveals to us through the prophet Zephaniah that “He will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love. He will sing joyfully because of you…” (Zep 3:17bc). Wow! Brothers and sisters, always keep in mind that God loves us and we should strive to live out of that reality as we interact with others.

And, you know what? By forgiving others, we’re doing the same thing. We’re telling one another as we forgive that we are good people—that’s God’s favor rests on each one of us. In so doing we keep our self-esteem and dignity. We are able to believe in ourselves and to believe in other people. That’s the way God treats us, and we’re most human and God-like when we follow his Way. To be in right relationship with God and our brothers and sisters, forgiveness is always an absolute imperative. Amen.