Reading I
1 Samuel 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23
In those days, Saul went down to the desert of Ziph
with three thousand picked men of Israel,
to search for David in the desert of Ziph.
So David and Abishai went among Saul’s soldiers by night
and found Saul lying asleep within the barricade,
with his spear thrust into the ground at his head
and Abner and his men sleeping around him.
Abishai whispered to David:
“God has delivered your enemy into your grasp this day.
Let me nail him to the ground with one thrust of the spear;
I will not need a second thrust!”
But David said to Abishai, “Do not harm him,
for who can lay hands on the LORD’s anointed and remain unpunished?”
So David took the spear and the water jug from their place at Saul’s head,
and they got away without anyone’s seeing or knowing or awakening.
All remained asleep,
because the LORD had put them into a deep slumber.
Going across to an opposite slope,
David stood on a remote hilltop
at a great distance from Abner, son of Ner, and the troops.
He said: “Here is the king’s spear.
Let an attendant come over to get it.
The LORD will reward each man for his justice and faithfulness.
Today, though the LORD delivered you into my grasp,
I would not harm the LORD’s anointed.”
Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples:
“To you who hear I say,
love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
To the person who strikes you on one cheek,
offer the other one as well,
and from the person who takes your cloak,
do not withhold even your tunic.
Give to everyone who asks of you,
and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back.
Do to others as you would have them do to you.
For if you love those who love you,
what credit is that to you?
Even sinners love those who love them.
And if you do good to those who do good to you,
what credit is that to you?
Even sinners do the same.
If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment,
what credit is that to you?
Even sinners lend to sinners,
and get back the same amount.
But rather, love your enemies and do good to them,
and lend expecting nothing back;
then your reward will be great
and you will be children of the Most High,
for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.
Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
“Stop judging and you will not be judged.
Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.
Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give, and gifts will be given to you;
a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing,
will be poured into your lap.
For the measure with which you measure
will in return be measured out to you.”
Reflection
Today’s Gospel holds numerous lessons about living the Christian life, but we can sum up the message in just one line: we must receive and enact the strength of God’s love.
Jesus tells us to “love our enemies,” “pray for those who persecute us,” “turn the other cheek,” and “lend, expecting nothing back.” At first impression, these directives may sound like God is telling us to be doormats. Let your enemies walk all over you. Conduct yourself so that others can take advantage of you. Succumb to duress. In reality, however, Christ is calling us to a strength that goes far beyond the standard of the world.
God invites us to secure our wellbeing so firmly in Him that, whether our enemy strikes one cheek or both, it becomes practically irrelevant to us. Rather than retaliate in anger, we feel untouched by the attack, secure in the love of God. We can turn the other cheek, because we have the grace of God sustaining us. Similarly, Our Lord calls us to such detachment and generosity that no one can take advantage of us, because we willingly give up our treasures.
St. Francis de Sales once said: "Nothing is so strong as gentleness; nothing is so gentle as real strength." This quote captures the spirit of today’s Gospel. Jesus does not want us to abandon our efforts to be strong; rather, He calls us to imitate His Father and embody true strength, which does not lash out, demand retribution, or fuel anger, but rather rises above the expectations of the world. Jesus underlines this point when he argues that anyone can love those who love them. True strength, the behavior that produces a great reward, is to love and forgive “the ungrateful and the wicked.”
This strength is possible for us because it belongs to God. The Lord’s strength is His love, and He pours out His love upon us constantly. Jesus says, “be merciful, as your Heavenly Father is merciful.” Yes, this is a striking demand, but it is also the instructions for how we could manage this level of love. As we open our hearts more and more to God’s mercy, the more we will be able to practice it ourselves. Jesus also reminds us that this dynamic goes both ways. The more we practice this mercy, the more we will likewise receive it.
I invite you to devote time today to mediate upon God’s love, its gentleness and its strength, and ask Him for the Grace to live it out.
Please be assured of my prayers for you before Our Lord, present in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
+ Bishop Schlert
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