Readings: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/022314.cfm
Some gospels, are soothing and
comforting. And some are uplifting and inspiring. And some are challenging, perhaps troubling,
maybe even upsetting. Today’s Gospel,
which continues Jesus teachings in His sermon on the Mount, falls into this
last category, for me at least.
“Offer
no resistance to one who is evil”
“Turn
the other [cheek] as well”
“Love
your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”
Challenging
teachings. Things that don’t come
naturally to us. Teachings He really
means for us to put into practice.
I
thought and prayed about these words of Our Lord a lot over the last week or
two, and with 20 minutes to a half hour commute each morning and evening, a lot
of my thinking and praying occurs on the road.
On the expressway. In
traffic. And yesterday, just as I was
entering the on-ramp onto 590 and Winton, a black Nissan Altima (or more
specifically, its driver!), sped up and cut right in front of me and I was
filled with rage. “Hey! Who do you think
you are?” I shouted. “Do you think your
time is more valuable than mine?” So I
sped up and got on his bumper and followed him as he cut across three lanes of
traffic.
And
this Gospel came back to me. “Love your
enemies. Pray for those who persecute
you. “And I said to the Lord “Lord
that’s easy for you to say, they didn’t have cars and traffic and idiot drivers
when you walked the earth!”
You
know, it occurs to me that defensive driving means thinking of every one of
those other cars in traffic as a potential enemy. Hundreds of more or less anonymous people
threatening me at all times. But I also
realize how often I can get upset or even filled with rage over their driving. Wanting revenge!
And
I didn’t think I hold any grudges either – you’ll remember in the same vein as
the Gospel, our first reading from Leviticus cautions us to “take no revenge
and cherish no grudge.” No grudges here,
I thought, until not too long ago I heard a person died – this person had been
my daughter’s boss awhile back – a person who had said some very disturbing and
deeply hurtful things to her, such that finally she up and quit that job. When I heard this person died I realized all
of a sudden how deeply I was harboring my own grudge against him. You can mess with me all you want, but you
better not mess with my wife or my kids – I guess is my attitude.
You
see, whenever you and I feel harmed, whether it’s being cut off on the
expressway, or when a loved one is emotionally scarred by someone, our pride
kicks in. Nobody is going to do that to
me and my loved ones. And our natural
reaction, it seems to me, is to want to harm them in return. Or if that’s not possible, to withdraw and
let our anger simmer for awhile. For a
few days perhaps, or even a year, or even thirty. I’ve seen thirty-plus-year grudges in my own
family, grudges that have even been passed down to the next generation.
And
this attitude of a grudge, as well as the attitude of wanting revenge – these
can be quite large. We see the same
attitudes play out in the world – Palestinians attack Israel so Israel
retaliates against Palestinians who get revenge by another attack against
Israel. A spiral out of control. In our nation we have the ultimate revenge –
the death penalty – to punish those who’ve been convicted of horrible
crimes. The movie Dead Man Walking did a
great job of putting the viewer in the shoes of the criminal and his family, as
well as the victims’ families, who were hoping for some measure of peace by an
eye for an eye, a life for a life. I’m
not so bold as to say exactly how I would feel if it were my wife or one of my daughters
so savagely killed. But I do know what
Our Lord calls us to as Christians.
We
are called to look on every other person, the good and the bad, with the eyes
with which God sees them. Our God, who
makes the rain fall on the just and the unjust, loves each of us, wants the
best for each of us. And if wanting
revenge and holding grudges is our natural reaction to events in our lives, Our
Blessed Lord is calling us to more. Our
Lord is calling us to a super-natural reaction, to shed our pride and instead,
exhibit an attitude of kindness and gentleness and yes, even love. It’s the only way to break the cycle of
violence in far off middle east, and it’s the only way to restore the strained
relationships in our families as well.
Back
in 2006, near Lancaster, PA, a deranged truck driver broke into an Amish
schoolhouse and shot ten young girls, killing five, before taking his own
life. We hear of similar stories far too often. The unusual part of that incident was the
reaction of that Amish community, who came together and reached out to the dead
man’s family, offering forgiveness to him and help to them. “We must not think evil of this man or his
family,” their community’s leader said. In
the midst of a horrible tragedy, in the midst of horrible darkness, they
brought light.
My
sisters and brother, you and I are called to bring that same light to the
darkness around us. Light to our families, to our community, to our nation, to our
world. By Christ’s grace and nourished
at this altar, may we go forth from this place to be Christ’s healing presence
in our world. And we ask this in Jesus’
name. Amen.
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