BEST INVESTMENT – 7th Sunday Ordinary Time, Year C
Even the best of deals are going to meet with disbelief, opposition, non-acceptance, and questioning about the possibility. Those presenting them will plead for a hearing, and will speak to those who possibly will listen and hear. “Hear me out...Let me finish…This is possible…This is worth trying.”
Jesus knew it would be difficult for people to accept the radical teachings of His Sermon on the Mount. He addresses them to His disciples of all ages. “To you who hear me, I say…” Jesus presumed that not everyone would listen to such exalted and challenging teachings. In this part of the Sermon (Luke 6:27-38) Jesus teaches loving and acting good toward those who are enemies and who are injuring or taking advantage of us in some way. They can be very hard to carry out in a concrete experience of being mistreated or relating to one’s enemies.
We have the example of David in the Book of Samuel who was badly mistreated by Saul, and yet David continued to love and treat him well. We all know people who have endured great injustices and yet have continued to love and treat their enemies in a good way. So it can be done, and is done by many people.
Only those who have an understanding of the two sides of human nature, of the natural and the spiritual, according to St. Paul are able to fulfill these demanding teachings. “The first man was of earth, formed from dust, the second from heaven…” There would be little chance or motivation for following Jesus’ teachings if we were only like the first man. “Earthly men are like the man of earth. Heavenly men are like the man of heaven. Just as we resemble the man from earth, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.”
The Holy Spirit is present in the baptized and faithful person working to form Christ, the man from heaven in us, and to help us live by His teachings. The vision of the heavenly Christ helps us to live the teachings. In the actual living of them their truth, strength, and possibility is revealed.
The teachings come down to loving everyone, enemies, those who hate you, curse you, mistreat you, steal from you, beg from you, all are included. That is the way God loves the human race as Jesus teaches in His Sermon.
Not only are we to love all, including those against us in some way, we are also to do good to them, blessing them, praying for them, giving to them, not demanding back what they have taken from us, and lending without expecting return. We are told to: “Do to others what you would have them do to you”. That means you are not able to hate, curse, mistreat, steal or take what belongs to them. It is presumed we are going to naturally do good to those we love and those who love us. “Sinners do as much.”
What does this investment in the teachings of Jesus promise us? What is the payoff beyond the considerable value of being true to one’s self and enjoying peace of mind and conscience? “You will rightly be called sons of the Most High, since He Himself is good to the grateful and the wicked.” That has to be worth more than the hardship and sacrifice of loving and doing good to those who harm us. Only the higher good and vision of being with the Lord in this life and in eternity makes this possible.
The realization that the Lord is like that towards us is a great consolation and help to being that way towards others as revealed in Jesus’ life and words. Jesus calls us to “Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate”.
If we are told earlier in the Sermon to treat others as we want to be treated, we are then told that the way we treat others will affect the way we are treated. “Do not judge, and you shall not be judged. Do not condemn, and you shall not be condemned. Pardon, and you shall be pardoned. Give and it shall be given to you…”
Jesus basically teaches that what we do to others will be done to us. “Give and it shall be given to you…For the measure you measure with will be measured back to you.” Without doubt it’s the best of all investments!
From the Diary of St. Faustina – 1182
“On the cross, the fountain of My mercy was opened wide by the lance for all souls – no one have I excluded!”
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