February 24, 2019

7^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Do you forgive?

Deacon Kevin O'Boyle

I have a question for everyone – When was the last time you forgave someone? How did it feel? Did you feel a sense of relief? Did the person you forgave? Try to dwell on those feelings as we review this weekend’s readings.
 
In our first reading today, we find David looking on Saul who is in a very vulnerable position. It would be easy for David to kill him, but he does not. You remember David. He’s the one who killed the giant Goliath. Since then everyone has been talking about him and Saul got jealous. Saul set out to find David, but David found him first. David recognizes that Saul is the Anointed one of God, so he will not harm him. In a sense, David offers a kind of forgiveness. He does not claim what his age would have said was his right. He does not take revenge. Instead, he forgives. And that forgiveness has something to do with what God has done to Saul. Saul is the anointed one.
 
In our second reading, Paul speaks in perhaps confusing terms. In essence, what he says is that Adam was first a creature of the world. Jesus, the second man, while being of the world through his earthly birth is also spiritual because He is God. As a people being reborn and brother or sister to Jesus, we too have both images – earthly and divine. We are all members of the one Body of Christ. What happens to one will, to some extent, impact all. Just as Saul was the “anointed one” so we, through Baptism, have a special nature.
 
In our Gospel, Jesus puts a lot of this in plain language. “Love your enemies”, “bless those who curse you”. Jesus is telling us not to remember the wrongs people have done, but to continue to treat them as we would treat ourselves – to love. It is not one of Christ’s easier teachings. But none the less, it is one he calls us to—To bury our vengeance and simply to love.
 
So, what does this mean to us today? Well, think again about the last time you forgave someone. Let’s apply what scripture tells us today about your actions. It is because of our spiritual nature—that nature we share as brothers and sisters of Christ that we have both the desire and the mandate to forgive. We are not just earthly creatures. We are bound to each other as members of the Body of Christ. We are called to try to resolve our differences and not seek revenge or vengeance. This is not easy. But it was not easy in Christ’s time either as he told his followers to turn the other cheek, give to everyone who asks of you, and do good to those who hate you. These things run counter to our nature- they run counter to secular society. And yet that is what we are called to. But think about that time you forgave. Weren’t there some good feelings about it? Didn’t it bring resolve to a bad situation? Wasn’t that a good feeling? Whether we felt good about it or not – that is what we are called to do. And that is something to think about this week.