General comments
As always, it is important for us to stay with the words of the text we are given.
Jesus never wished to teach against the Old Testament. It is a point he makes quite clearly earlier in this sermon. “Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets”, he said. “I have not come to abolish but to complete them. I tell you solemnly, till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke shall disappear until its purpose is achieved”.
What Jesus was against was the fact that some people were misusing the law. He was anxious to change this for something better. He did not want “to abolish” the law but merely to “complete it” and he showed how his own interpretations would in fact “complete” the law.
Textual comments
Let us look first at verses 38 to 42.
Jesus wants us first of all to reject the false notion that we must relate to others only as they treat us. This would go against what he taught us by words and by example.He gives us some positive teachings on three situations: “Offer the wicked man no resistance. If one hits you on the right cheek, offer him the other. If someone takes you to law and would have your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone orders you to go one mile, go two. Give to anyone who asks and if anyone want to borrow do not turn away”.
These are clearly difficult passages to interpret. We must however continue looking at them over and over again until they begin to make some sense to us. We must not stop our work until this comes to be true, to happen to us also.
To understand what this section means, we must therefore try and find out what is in the mind of the person who hates us. There are two answers we can think of.
– The first is that the person does not like us. There are things in us that he prefers not to see.
– It could also be that he likes us and there are things in us that he likes and admires but he cannot say why or how.
There must be a reason for it and it is up to us to find it. The question is what does he want, what is deep in his heart, what is his general attitude?
We then turn to the second half of the passage – verses 43 to 48.
Jesus starts off by saying that we need to go against the old commandment that we know and love. “You have learnt how it was said”. The statement said, “you must love your neighbour and hate your enemy”.
He gives three positive teachings to show how we can go against this.
In this passage Jesus tells his disciples that they must be guided entirely by him and by his message, not by what is said in the culture at large.Jesus was aware of the problems of his followers. Some of these were personal, others were more general; others again were general defects of the culture. We too, in our time, must be aware of this as we make choices and decisions day by day.
Jesus starts with two sayings, or teachings – something that was “said to our ancestors”. Both are well known to us: “Eye for eye and tooth for tooth” and “You must love your neighbour and hate your enemy”.The first is to “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”. In this way “we will be sons and daughters of our Father in heaven”. The reason is obvious. He is kind to both people: “The sun rises on bad as well as good,” “His rain falls on all alike.”
He then goes on to ask the question. “If you love those who love you, what right have you to claim any credit? Even tax collectors do as much, do they not? What about greetings for your brothers and sisters? Even the pagans do as much, do they not?”
Jesus’ own conclusion is there, clearly stated. “Be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect”. God does not link his gifts to how people feel about him. So too we must do the same to one another.
Scripture prayer
“Walk the dark ways of faith and you will attain the vision of faith.” …St Augustine.
Lord, we thank you for the great teachings which Jesus left us in this passage.
They are in many ways opposed to what we hear all round us
and deep down we know they are true.
“Not all are called to be hermits but all need enough silence and solitude in their lives to enable the deep inner voice of our true self to be heard at least occasionally.” …Thomas Merton
Lord, teach us therefore to offer the wicked people we meet no resistance.
Remind us that when someone strikes us on one cheek
we need to ask the why they did it,
and we may find then we can offer them the other as well.
If they take us to court and would have our tunic
we wonder why and then, if it is necessary, we can let them have our cloak as well.
If they order us to go one mile, we need to go through the matter ourselves
and then we may find that we can go two miles with them.
Help us Lord, that we may give to anyone who wants to borrow and not turn them away.
“The essence of prayer is to be established in the remembrance of God and walk in his presence.” …Theophane the Recluse
Lord, help us to strive for perfection,
knowing that our heavenly Father is perfect.
Remind us that this really is the same as loving our neighbour
and praying for those who persecute us,
so that we can be truly sons and daughters of our Father in heaven,
he who causes his sun to rise on the bad as well as the good,
and his rain to fall on honest and dishonest alike.
Lord, if we love those who love us, what right have we to claim any credit,
even the tax collectors do as much do they not.
And if we save our greetings for our brothers are we doing anything exceptional? Even the pagans do as much, do they not?
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Thomas O’Loughlin
Introduction to the Celebration
Friends in Christ, we — as the community of the baptised — are called by God to provide the world with an example of a different way of living life. Around us we hear every day of people waging war or getting ready to wage war or waging war to make peace or waging war to prevent war. We often hear the same language in our businesses and in our workplaces. The motto seems to be: grab, grasp, exploit. But we are called to wage peace. We are called not just to be peaceful, but to actively work in a way that builds up peace, honesty, respect for other and the creation. To say we are Christians is to say that we have volunteered to wage peace in our homes, in our work, and in our world.
Homily notes
1. This gospel provokes a curious range of reactions.
2. There are many who would be prepared to lose their lives as martyrs for some aspect of the doctrinal content of Christianity, or a particular version of it, but who consider this call to break with the world’s way of power to be simply rubbish. In short, Jesus may be the divine Son of God as the creed professes, but this stuff about ‘loving enemies’ just has to be ignored.3. Politicians have made a habit in recent years about’ going the extra mile for peace’ (how many people realise that the image is derived from this gospel?) and congratulate themselves that they are doing this; but they do so only in that they delay the threat of war! To go the extra mile for peace means foregoing the war option altogether, not simply giving an extension to an ultimatum. Yet such politicians often wear their Christianity very publicly.
4. During the First World War chaplains with the British Army were ordered to provide extra services for troops as they were recognised as helping to build morale. However, they were forbidden to use New Testament passages such as this in the services lest it would undermine the will to fight and retaliate. But these were seen as Christian services nonetheless. It seems you can take Jesus, but skip this bit of the message.
5. Many people say that they cannot accept Christianity because they cannot ‘take the divinity of Christ’ or they cannot believe the gospel because’ they cannot take the miracle stories’ or they cannot accept the church because of this or that doctrine which they find ‘repugnant,’ and in each case these may be deeply felt and held difficulties. However, there are far fewer who find this vision of Christian behaviour to be their stumbling block – yet it is as much part of the gospel as any other teaching.
6. This gospel reminds us that some set of moral guidelines, but a wholly different view of theworld. The call to conversion is to change our whole way of viewing life, not just to add or alter a few attitudes on this or that.
7. Peace, a world of peace, seems often to be a distant illusion an impossible dream. But peace is not some state that just happens: it has to be established. We know that wars have to be waged, vendettas have to be pursued, acts of retaliation have to be inflicted and prosecuted. These are all active verbs: waging war. And in every case there is a massive investment of resources: human and material. But peace also needs investment of time, energy, emotions, money, skills. If you want peace, justice, development, reconciliation; then these campaigns have to be waged and actively prosecuted. Whatever world we build, a world of warfare and conflict or a world of development and reconciliation, it is going to cost us. It is one’s vision of the whole creation that decides which is the correct choice.
8. Here is a little slogan: Christians are called to wage peace with as much energy as others wage war.
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John LittetonGospel Reflection
We all like our friends and we want to remember their birthdays and other special occasions. If they need our help, we are glad to be able to lend a hand, offer a listening ear, share our time or give some useful advice.
In contrast, we are not quite so kind to the people we dislike. If we really dislike them, to the point of hatred, then we may be tempted to treat them unjustly or, at least, damage their character by slandering them and gossiping about them. For Christians, this type of behaviour is unthinkable, precisely because Jesus explicitly forbade it.During his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reminded his audience about the Old Law before taking them forward to the perfection of the New Law: ‘You have learnt how it was said: You must love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I say this to you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you’
(Mt 5:43-44).This perfection was always to be found in the Law of God a]- though, until the coming of Christ, it was not properly understood by the Chosen People. But Jesus made it explicit. There could no longer be any mistaking the law of charity. If people wanted to follow Christ, they were required to love their enemies.
Jesus gave some practical examples of the love of enemies in action: ‘If anyone hits you on the right cheek, offer him the other as well’ (Mt 5:39). Crucially, Jesus taught why he wanted his disciples to love their enemies: ‘For if you love those who love you, what right have you to claim any credit? Even the tax collectors do as much, do they not?’ (Mt 5:46).
According to Jesus, this is not sufficient. If we are kind to our friends and hate our enemies, or even if, not hating them, we refuse to be charitable towards them, we are doing no more than the pagans do. There is no merit in that. If we want to please God, then we are obliged to do more. We are challenged by the gospel to behave decently towards those to whom we are not naturally attracted. In short, we must love our enemies.
This teaching, which is unique to Christianity, is a reflection of God’s perfection. We know this because Jesus concluded this part of his sermon by exhorting his listeners to ‘be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect’ (Mt 5:48).
When we next receive a request for help, or when our opinion is sought from a neighbour or work colleague to whom we are not naturally drawn, let us remember Jesus’ exhortation and respond with kindness and generosity. There is always someone, in every social context, who is not popular, or who is difficult and unattractive. It is to these people that we are asked to respond in true charity with a kind word, a small gift, perhaps, or an offer of friendship. That will reflect, somewhat, the perfection of God in a world full of selfishness and conflict.
Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. (Mt5:44)
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Donal Neary SJ:
Give to an enemy
Give to an enemy
We know the opposite. People see the enemy walking the street and know that the only way forward is to make peace. This may not mean forgiveness immediately. Some can find a way forward only gradually.
The forgiveness of the gospel is a slow journey. We have small hurts and have ways of dealing, with them. But the big ones are there too – maybe someone getting a job over someone dishonestly, being abused, family being mocked, bullying. Healing, freedom and forgiveness takes lime.
We need to understand our own vengeance and at times forgive ourselves for it. The love of God is the love that helps us love the self in the normal hurts and grievances of life. The love of God is a grace, filling that space in us that is open to love – the grace of loving self and others.
To be perfect is to become like God in compassion and in love. This is a wonderful vision for ourselves, our church and our world. It is the dream of God that all God’s children live in love, peace and justice.
From The Connections:
THE WORD:
In Jewish law, the accepted understanding of retaliation – “an eye for the eye” – was intended to restrict vengeance and to keep violence within limits. But Jesus teaches his Jewish hearers to respond to injustice with the “perfect” righteousness of God.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus points to three offenses that might seem relatively minor to us — but not to the poor of the Gospel.
First, there is the slap on the cheek. In Gospel times, a superior could slap a worker or slave with the back of his right hand. Such a slap meant to insult and humiliate, not injure. But by turning your cheek when struck, you force the one striking you to hit you with an open hand, thus making him face you as an equal. Such a “turning” of the cheek robs the aggressor of the power to humiliate and, in effect, shames the aggressor.
Then there is suing over your coat. In Jewish culture, nakedness was considered a grave humiliation — for the one who was responsible for another’s nakedness. Near Eastern hospitality demanded that no person ever be so shamed. So if someone makes an unreasonable demand for your tunic, Jesus says, give them your coat as well. Give them everything so that they might realize the injustice of their avarice and greed.
And finally, there is going the extra mile. A Roman soldier could compel anyone to carry his equipment for one mile, and no more. Going a second mile puts the Roman soldier in a difficult position: he could be severely punished by his superiors for abusing his authority. By going the second mile on your own volition, Jesus teaches, you’re making the hated Roman treat you as an equal. You’re saying, “You can compel my obedience but not my gift.”
What Jesus is asking his hearers in today’s Gospel is to respond to injustice and cruelty not with aggression but with humble dignity and self-respect. To act with the righteousness of God is to break the cycle of violence and fear by initiating a new cycle of generosity and justice.
In the second half of today’s Gospel, Jesus continues to take the Law beyond the boundaries, parameters and measurements of the official interpreters.
Of course, nowhere in the New Testament does phrase “hate your enemy” appear – the concept of “enemy” was an assumption on the part of the scribes and Pharisees, who defined an enemy as anyone not a Jew. But Jesus challenges that assumption: God’s love unites all men and women, on whom the Father's “sun rises and sets as well.” However justified retaliation might appear to be, Jesus calls us to seek reconciliation instead of vengeance.
In the Greek text of Matthew’s Gospel, the word used in today’s text for love is agape. The word indicates not a romantic or emotional kind of love we have for the special ones in our lives but, rather, a state of benevolence and good will. The agape that Jesus asks us to have for our “enemies” means that no matter how much he/she hurts us, we will never let bitterness close our hearts to that person nor will we seek anything but good for that “enemy.” Agape is to recognize the humanity we share with all people who call God “Father” – and it begins within our own households and communities.
Despite the violence done to us, regardless of the injustice we have suffered, Jesus asks his disciples to take that first, difficult, awkward step to forgive. Our first concern, as Jesus’ followers, must be God’s work of reconciliation: to love the unlovable, to reach out to the alienated, to dismantle whatever walls divide and isolate people and build bridges that bring people together.
The real challenge of Jesus’ teachings on loving one’s enemies is not “loving” some group designated by a label based on politics, sociology or economics or “loving” some remote “sinner” we will never have anything to do with; the challenge of today’s Gospel is to love the people we live with and work with and go to school with, the people we struggle with, the people who annoy us (and whom we annoy).
“To love our enemies” is not just to declare a cease-fire but to create and maintain an atmosphere where reconciliation is always possible and actively sought. The Jesus of the Gospel instills within us a vision that sees beyond stereotypes, politics and appearances and recognizes and honors the goodness possessed by every human being.
“God is love, John’s Gospel tells us. That’s a whole theology in three words. The practical application of that theology — God is love — is nearly as simple. Be as loving as you can, as often as you can, for as many people as you can, for as long as you live. Why should you do this? Because.
“It’s simple enough for a child to understand. ‘I can do it,’ Peter said stoutly when I explained it to him. ‘I can be loving toward anyone. Even an ax murderer.’
“’Start with you sister,’ I told him.
“Start with your spouse. That’s what I had to do. Whomever you start with, it doesn’t end there. Once I’d gotten the principle more or less down as it applied to [my husband] Drew, it quickly became obvious that the same could apply to other people, and not just the safely distant murderer who has taken the ax to a stranger. The principle might also apply to the guy who swipes my parking spot at Shop-N-Save, or the telemarketer who calls at suppertime, or even — imagine this! — to my relatives!”
The real challenge of Jesus’ teachings on loving one’s enemies is not “loving” some group designated by a label based on politics, sociology or economics or “loving” some remote “sinner” we will never have anything to do with; the challenge of today’s Gospel is to love the people we live with and work with and go to school with, the people we struggle with, the people who annoy us (and whom we annoy). “To love our enemies” is not just to declare a cease-fire but to create and maintain an atmosphere where reconciliation is always possible and actively sought. The Jesus of the Gospel instills within us a vision that sees beyond stereotypes, politics and appearances and recognizes and honors the goodness possessed by every human being. In the Greek text of Matthew’s Gospel, the word used in today’s text for love is agape. The word indicates not a romantic or emotional kind of love we have for the special ones in our lives but, rather, a state of benevolence and good will. The agape that Jesus asks us to have for our “enemies” means that no matter how he/she hurts us, we will never let bitterness close our hearts to that person nor will we seek anything but good for that “enemy.” Agape is to recognize the humanity we share with all people who call God “Father” — and it begins within our own households and communities.
****
ILLUSTRATIONS:
From Fr. Jude Botelho:To be perfect is to become like God in compassion and in love. This is a wonderful vision for ourselves, our church and our world. It is the dream of God that all God’s children live in love, peace and justice.
Prayer helps … can you bring someone to God – to the cross?
Pray with someone at the cross; it makes a difference.
Lord, help me to forgive and, when I cannot, to be patient with myself as you are with me.
Pray with someone at the cross; it makes a difference.
Lord, help me to forgive and, when I cannot, to be patient with myself as you are with me.
THE WORD:
In Jewish law, the accepted understanding of retaliation – “an eye for the eye” – was intended to restrict vengeance and to keep violence within limits. But Jesus teaches his Jewish hearers to respond to injustice with the “perfect” righteousness of God.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus points to three offenses that might seem relatively minor to us — but not to the poor of the Gospel.
First, there is the slap on the cheek. In Gospel times, a superior could slap a worker or slave with the back of his right hand. Such a slap meant to insult and humiliate, not injure. But by turning your cheek when struck, you force the one striking you to hit you with an open hand, thus making him face you as an equal. Such a “turning” of the cheek robs the aggressor of the power to humiliate and, in effect, shames the aggressor.
Then there is suing over your coat. In Jewish culture, nakedness was considered a grave humiliation — for the one who was responsible for another’s nakedness. Near Eastern hospitality demanded that no person ever be so shamed. So if someone makes an unreasonable demand for your tunic, Jesus says, give them your coat as well. Give them everything so that they might realize the injustice of their avarice and greed.
And finally, there is going the extra mile. A Roman soldier could compel anyone to carry his equipment for one mile, and no more. Going a second mile puts the Roman soldier in a difficult position: he could be severely punished by his superiors for abusing his authority. By going the second mile on your own volition, Jesus teaches, you’re making the hated Roman treat you as an equal. You’re saying, “You can compel my obedience but not my gift.”
What Jesus is asking his hearers in today’s Gospel is to respond to injustice and cruelty not with aggression but with humble dignity and self-respect. To act with the righteousness of God is to break the cycle of violence and fear by initiating a new cycle of generosity and justice.
In the second half of today’s Gospel, Jesus continues to take the Law beyond the boundaries, parameters and measurements of the official interpreters.
Of course, nowhere in the New Testament does phrase “hate your enemy” appear – the concept of “enemy” was an assumption on the part of the scribes and Pharisees, who defined an enemy as anyone not a Jew. But Jesus challenges that assumption: God’s love unites all men and women, on whom the Father's “sun rises and sets as well.” However justified retaliation might appear to be, Jesus calls us to seek reconciliation instead of vengeance.
In the Greek text of Matthew’s Gospel, the word used in today’s text for love is agape. The word indicates not a romantic or emotional kind of love we have for the special ones in our lives but, rather, a state of benevolence and good will. The agape that Jesus asks us to have for our “enemies” means that no matter how much he/she hurts us, we will never let bitterness close our hearts to that person nor will we seek anything but good for that “enemy.” Agape is to recognize the humanity we share with all people who call God “Father” – and it begins within our own households and communities.
HOMILY POINTS:
In every tense confrontation and unreasonable expectation and to every undeserved cry for help, Jesus asks us to respond with the compassion and mercy of God, to act with the conviction that we can break such cycles of irresponsibility and selfishness, that we can heal another’s brokenness, that we can bring back the lost and marginalized by seeking to re-create such situations in the “perfect” love of God. Despite the violence done to us, regardless of the injustice we have suffered, Jesus asks his disciples to take that first, difficult, awkward step to forgive. Our first concern, as Jesus’ followers, must be God’s work of reconciliation: to love the unlovable, to reach out to the alienated, to dismantle whatever walls divide and isolate people and build bridges that bring people together.
The real challenge of Jesus’ teachings on loving one’s enemies is not “loving” some group designated by a label based on politics, sociology or economics or “loving” some remote “sinner” we will never have anything to do with; the challenge of today’s Gospel is to love the people we live with and work with and go to school with, the people we struggle with, the people who annoy us (and whom we annoy).
“To love our enemies” is not just to declare a cease-fire but to create and maintain an atmosphere where reconciliation is always possible and actively sought. The Jesus of the Gospel instills within us a vision that sees beyond stereotypes, politics and appearances and recognizes and honors the goodness possessed by every human being.
Want peace in the world? Start with your sister . . .
In her memoir Marriage and Other Acts of Charity, Kate Braestrup writes about reading St. John’s letter on love with her little son Peter. She writes:“God is love, John’s Gospel tells us. That’s a whole theology in three words. The practical application of that theology — God is love — is nearly as simple. Be as loving as you can, as often as you can, for as many people as you can, for as long as you live. Why should you do this? Because.
“It’s simple enough for a child to understand. ‘I can do it,’ Peter said stoutly when I explained it to him. ‘I can be loving toward anyone. Even an ax murderer.’
“’Start with you sister,’ I told him.
“Start with your spouse. That’s what I had to do. Whomever you start with, it doesn’t end there. Once I’d gotten the principle more or less down as it applied to [my husband] Drew, it quickly became obvious that the same could apply to other people, and not just the safely distant murderer who has taken the ax to a stranger. The principle might also apply to the guy who swipes my parking spot at Shop-N-Save, or the telemarketer who calls at suppertime, or even — imagine this! — to my relatives!”
The real challenge of Jesus’ teachings on loving one’s enemies is not “loving” some group designated by a label based on politics, sociology or economics or “loving” some remote “sinner” we will never have anything to do with; the challenge of today’s Gospel is to love the people we live with and work with and go to school with, the people we struggle with, the people who annoy us (and whom we annoy). “To love our enemies” is not just to declare a cease-fire but to create and maintain an atmosphere where reconciliation is always possible and actively sought. The Jesus of the Gospel instills within us a vision that sees beyond stereotypes, politics and appearances and recognizes and honors the goodness possessed by every human being. In the Greek text of Matthew’s Gospel, the word used in today’s text for love is agape. The word indicates not a romantic or emotional kind of love we have for the special ones in our lives but, rather, a state of benevolence and good will. The agape that Jesus asks us to have for our “enemies” means that no matter how he/she hurts us, we will never let bitterness close our hearts to that person nor will we seek anything but good for that “enemy.” Agape is to recognize the humanity we share with all people who call God “Father” — and it begins within our own households and communities.
****
ILLUSTRATIONS:
Today’s first reading from Leviticus speaks of holiness. Holiness means separateness and distinctiveness from the world. The Lord says, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord, your God am holy.” Holiness is primarily the attribute of God, but by relating to God and drawing close to him, Israel too becomes holy. Holiness must flow from one’s behavior to life. If God is compassionate and loving we too must become like our God, more compassionate and loving.
You are God’s Temple
King Janaka of ancient India was greatly revered by all for his holiness. Once, while listening to a discourse from a holy guru together with some citizens, a herald announced, “The king’s palace is on fire!” Everyone rushed towards the palace since they had relatives working for the king or fields surrounding the palace. King Janaka remained unmoved. Thinking that Janaka hadn’t heard him, the herald shouted louder, “Your palace is burning!” Annoyed the king replied, “Let my palace burn! It’s more important that I become holy by listening to my guru rather than to save my palace.” Today’s reading speaks about holiness since every person is a temple of the Spirit.
Francis Gonsalves in ‘Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds’
Today’s gospel invites us to reflect on a particular aspect of the love established by Jesus: love your enemies. These words of Jesus must have sounded so strange to his listeners, that even his apostles found it hard to accept them. “I say to you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” In fact, this is the command that makes our Christian religion different from all others. No founder of religion other than Jesus ever commanded such a thing to his followers. There is a natural desire in us for revenge and retaliation but Jesus calls for an unselfish attitude which not only refuses to retaliate but also to react. The ultimate Christian calling is to be like our Heavenly Father. The Old Law regarding enemies in ancient times was the law of family retaliation. If anyone of your family was injured, you had a right to hit back. In fact, the Law of the Talion meant that you could have life for life, eye for an eye, and tooth for a tooth. But the Law of Jesus went far beyond: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.” This is the most difficult test in the Christian life and many fail it. To sincerely forgive is beyond human strength, but the Spirit within us can help us to forgive. Refusal to forgive is the greatest sin we can commit within the community, the one that blocks God’s love. The forgiveness we give others will be the source of our own forgiveness and eternal joy.
Changed from Within
Two farmers, John and James, were good friends until a dispute arose between them over a piece of land. Unable to settle the issue among themselves they went to court over it. The court decided in favour of John. James was bitter and put poison in John’s well, not a fatal dose but enough to give an obnoxious taste. John was very angry. His neighbours heard about it. Some refused to get involved. But others were supportive and declared that James should be made to pay for what he had done. John was about to go by night and poison James’ well when a stranger arrived at his house. On hearing the story, the stranger agreed that it was a pretty nasty situation, but he would not agree with retaliation. “Poison is not a thing to be played around with” he declared. “I’ve a better idea. I’ll show you in the morning.” His idea was to clean the well. He offered to help. Reluctantly John agreed. It was a messy business and took them two whole days. After they ran fresh water several times the stranger took a cup of water and declared it was clean. John also drank but insisted he could still taste the poison. To which the stranger replied, “Take it from me. The water is perfect. But you will continue to taste the poison till you forgive your neighbour. You got rid of the poison in the well, but not the poison in your mind and heart.” That evening John went over to his neighbour and made his peace with him. When he came back he tasted the water and this time it tasted good.
Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies’
From Hatred to Love
South Africa is a country blessed by God in a great many ways. But the country which should have been a haven for all the peoples of Southern Africa became instead a heaven for a privileged white minority. Many people tried in vain to change South Africa’s apartheid system. Finally, Nelson Mandela appeared on the scene. He too tried to bring about reforms. But like reformers before him, he was rejected. Worse, he was hounded by the government, and ended up spending twenty-seven years in prison. However, he not only survived prison, but came out of it with the respect of his enemies and of the entire world. Furthermore, he came out without bitterness. In fact, he came out smiling, and immediately sought reconciliation with the leaders that kept him, in prison.
Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies’
Oskar, Saint or Sinner?
Oskar Schindler was a German industrialist who personally saved over a thousand Polish Jews from the horrors of the concentration camps during the Second World War. One grateful person had this to say in appreciation: "Oskar Schindler was our father, our mother, our liberator and our only hope." On the other hand, Oskar Schindler was unfaithful to his wife and was totally immersed in the proverbial good life of wine, woman and song. He was a Catholic, but only in name. Oskar Schindler was no saint. But there was a better side to him, and that came to the fore one day when appalled by the horrors of the concentration camps he felt something had to be done, and using his personal wealth and connections, he saved more than a thousand Jews. Like Schindler, none of us is perfect. But, also like him, there is in each and every one of us a better side, on which we must steadily build, so that we grow with each passing day, with virtue and Christian holiness.
James Valladares in 'Your Words, O Lord, Are Spirit, and They Are Life'
Evil is Deceptive
Albert Speer was an important member of the Nazi hierarchy during Hitler's reign. He was Hitler's architect, and minister of Armament, Munitions and War Productions. After the defeat of Hitler and Germany, he was tried at Nuremberg for crimes against humanity and subsequently condemned to serve 20 years in prison. Albert Speer was one of the most intelligent, educated and principled persons in Germany. How he was captivated by Hitler's magnetism to accept such bizarre ideologies -the secret policies, the concentration camps, the nonsensical rhetoric of Aryan Supremacy and anti-Semitism, is beyond anyone's comprehension. During his trial at Nuremberg, he took responsibility for the horrors of the Nazi regime, although most of the time, he was not aware of the happenings around. Later in life, he sincerely regretted his association with Hitler. He could still not explain completely why he subscribed to Hitler's evil idiosyncrasies.
John Rose in 'John's Sunday Homilies'
A Better Way
One day a native American was talking to his grandson about the atrocities that happened in New York city on September 11, 2001. Suddenly the grandson asked, “Grandpa, how do you feel about that atrocity?” “I feel as if there are two wolves fighting in my heart. One wolf is angry, vengeful and violent. The other is loving, forgiving and compassionate.” he answered. “Which wolf will win the fight in your heart? The grandson asked. “The one I feed.” Jesus says to us, “Love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you.” He never said that we would have no enemies – there is no lack of realism here. But he offers us a new way of dealing with our enemies. The injunction ‘Love your enemies’ is a radical rejection of violence.
Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies’
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From Fr. Tony Kadavil's Collection:
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From Sermon Illustrations:
Mark Twain once said this about the Bible: "I have no problem with those parts of the Bible I don't understand. It's those parts of the Bible I do understand that gives me fits." The passage that we are going to study certainly fits into that category.
1) “If I could talk
face to face with the pilot who dropped the bomb”: On the Veterans Day of
November 1996, Phan Thi Kim Phuc, now 33, came to the black granite Vietnam
Veterans Memorial as a wife and mother, to tell several thousand spectators
that she forgives those who bombed her village and has put the past behind her.
Kim Phuc placed a wreath at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington and
delivered a short speech. When Kim Phuc was only 9 years old, her picture was
taken by an Associated Press photographer and it stirred the conscience of the
world. Moments after the picture was taken, Kim Phuc lost consciousness and was
taken to a hospital by the photographer, Nick Ut, who later won a Pulitzer
Prize for the photo. Her village had just been hit by a napalm bomb attack by
the South Vietnamese air force sponsored by the USA air force. Her two cousins
were killed instantly. Kim Phuc’s clothes were burned off her. In the
photograph, this little girl was running, naked, in pain and terror. In front
of the wall inscribed with the names of more than 58,000 U.S. war dead, Kim
Phuc said that she was focused on the future. Speaking to a hushed crowd in
Washington, she made the following statement: “I have suffered a lot from my
physical and emotional pain. Sometimes I thought I could not live, but God
saved my life and gave me Faith and Hope. If I could talk face to face with the
pilot who dropped the bomb, I would tell him we cannot change history, but we
should try to do things for the present and for the future to promote peace.”
No retaliation! Just tough, wise love. (http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1996-11-12/news/9611120185_1_phan-thi-kim-phuc-vietnam-veterans-memorial-fund-war-victim).
http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/04/vietnam-war-napalm-girl-photo-today
Video= https://youtu.be/wYC7RsU3OKs.
That’s the spirit of Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount given in today’s
Gospel. It’s the greatest power on earth. In the face of it, the devil
trembles. Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
2) “The goal is
reconciliation and redemption.” Martin Luther King, Jr. would take
this principle from the Sermon on the Mount and use it to revolutionize
America. King used to say, “No man can pull me down so low as to make me hate
him.” The real goal, said King, was not to defeat the white man, but to awaken
a sense of shame within the oppressor and to challenge his false sense of
superiority. “The goal is reconciliation, redemption, the creation of the
beloved community.” The words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount which Martin
Luther King paraphrased, are totally out of step with our present world, because
our world believes in retaliation. 75 percent of Christians believe in capital
punishment because they think we can stop the killing by killing the killers.
That’s retaliation. Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
3) “He couldn’t
fight, either.” One day a truck driver stopped at a restaurant for
dinner and ordered a steak. Before he could eat it, in walked a motorcycle
gang, with dirty leather jackets and long, unkempt hair. They took the man’s steak,
cut it into six pieces, and ate it. The driver said nothing. He simply paid the
bill and walked out. One of the gang members said, “That man couldn’t talk. He
didn’t say a word.” Another one said, “He couldn’t fight, either; he didn’t
lift a hand.” A waiter added, “I would say that he couldn’t drive either. On
his way out of the parking lot, he ran over six motorcycles crushing all of
them.” Something in us loves that story, because we like retaliation. But in
the Sermon on the Mount Jesus prescribes forgiving love as the Christian trump
card. Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
4) The Rev. Cleveland
Duke of Akron is a part-time judo instructor. He says, “I teach you what to
do after you’ve turned both cheeks.” He teaches self-defense.
5) In Bill Adler’s
popular book of letters from kids, an 8-year-old boy from Nashville,
Tennessee makes this contribution: “Dear Pastor, I know God wants us to love
everybody, but He surely never met my sister.” Sincerely, Arnold.
6) “What does agápe love
mean?” asked the teacher. “When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t
bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So, my grandfather does it for her all
the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s agápe love.”
(Rebecca- age 8).
6) Forgiving others:
The pastor’s Sunday homily on today’s Gospel about was forgiving our enemies.
Toward the end of the homily, he asked his congregation, “How many of you have
forgiven their enemies”? About half held up their hands. He then repeated his
question. As it was past lunchtime, this time about 80 percent held up their
hands. He then repeated his question again. All responded, except one small
elderly lady. “Mrs. Jones?” inquired the pastor, are you not willing to forgive
your enemies? “I don’t have any.” she replied. smiling sweetly. “Mrs. Jones,
That is very unusual. How old are you?” “Ninety-three,” she replied. “Oh Mrs.
Jones, what a blessing and a lesson to us all you are. Would you please come
down in front of this congregation and tell us all how a person can live
ninety-three years and not have an enemy in the world?” The little sweetheart
of a lady tottered down the aisle, faced the congregation, and said “I outlived
the old hags.”
32- Additional
anecdotes:
1) You shall not
bear hatred: Time was when even villains held Bishops rather in awe,
and for that reason were less ready to mistreat them than other members of the
human race. This is no longer true- witness the assassination of Archbishop
Oscar Romero of El Salvador, and the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul
II. In recent years, some American bishops have been set upon by some of our
home-grown criminals. For instance, one Saturday night in 1983, 69-year-old
Bishop Maurice Dingman of Des Moines came out of a convenience store where he
had broken his last $20 bill to pay for gasoline. When he got into his car, one
face appeared, and then a second. The two men forced themselves into the
bishop’s car and demanded money. He showed them all he had: “Chicken feed.”
“Co-operate or else!” they threatened. Whereupon the one in the driver’s seat,
reeking of marijuana, started on a wild drive to the next town. When they
passed a bank with a borrowing slot, they stopped and ordered the bishop to use
his plastic card and draw out some money. The bishop replied that he didn’t own
a card. This left the captives frustrated, but all the more dangerous. Bishop
Dingman could have run off but thought that would just invite violence.
Finally, after the pair had partied in a house of friends, they drove the
bishop back to Des Moines in the early morning. All that night, Bishop Dingman
admitted later on, “I never prayed so hard in my life!” A few years before
this, robbers had broken into the house of Bishop John Morkowsky of Houston,
Texas. When they took the small money that he had, they beat him up and blinded
him in one eye. Likewise, in the early 1980’s, criminals in Cleveland murdered
a Catholic black man named Amos Lyke. His brother was James P. Lyke, auxiliary
bishop of Cleveland. This was another form of cruelty. Had these three bishops
been vengeful, they could have tracked down their enemies and demanded a tooth
for a tooth. True, they were willing to assist the police in the interests of
public order. But beyond that they would not go. “I want to do something for
people like this,” said Bishop Dingman. “I never felt any desire to get revenge
on my assailants,” said Bishop Morkowsky. And Bishop Lyke at his brother’s
funeral begged God to forgive the murderers of Amos. In today’s Gospel, Jesus
tells, “love your enemies, pray for your persecutors.” This is the true
Christian spirit. How consoling, then, to see our teachers of Christian love,
the Pope, the Archbishop, and these three Bishops, really practicing
themselves, the forgiveness they preach to others. (Father Robert F.
McNamara). Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
2) “I’m not so sure.” In
the movie Gandhi, the great Indian leader is walking one day with a
Presbyterian missionary, Charlie Andrews. The two suddenly find their way
blocked by young thugs. The Reverend Andrews takes one look at the menacing
gangsters and decides to run for it. Gandhi stops him and asks, “Doesn’t the
New Testament say if an enemy strikes you on the right cheek you should offer
him the left?” Andrews mumbles something about Jesus speaking metaphorically.
Gandhi replies, “I’m not so sure. I suspect he meant you must show courage–be
willing to take a blow, several blows, to show you will not strike back nor
will you be turned aside.” Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
3) “Yeah, but it’s my
way.” In the 1985 movie, Witness, Harrison Ford plays
a tough Philadelphia detective who uncovers corruption within his department.
To protect himself and a young boy who has witnessed a murder, Ford’s
character, John Book, hides out among the Pennsylvania Amish, the community
from which the little boy comes. In one scene of the movie, Book and several of
the Amish go into town for a day of shopping. While they are in town, the
buggies driven by the Amish are involved in a traffic jam with a car. The
occupants of the car emerge to confront the Amish in the buggies. With
unwarranted hostility, they taunt one young Amish man. One of the men from the
car, a young tough, smears ice cream in the Amish man’s face. Ignoring the
protests of an older Amish man, Book goes over to beat up the ruffians who have
bullied the young Amish man. The older Amish man insists to Book that, “it’s
not our way.” To which Book responds, “Yeah, but it’s my way.” The scene from
the movie helps us focus on the content of our passage of Scripture for this
morning. The Amish, a community in the Anabaptist tradition, sees the Sermon on
the Mount as part of their core Scripture. The reason the young man in the
scene doesn’t fight back against the bullies is that he is turning the other
cheek, as Jesus said to do. In order to avoid violence, in order to avoid
anyone getting hurt, he willingly accepts humiliation. Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
4) We are angry over
9/11, but our anger doesn’t control us: In May of 2006, the whole
country had to confront an enemy. His cold angry eyes stared at us from our
newspapers and television sets. Zacarias Moussaoui was sentenced to life in
prison. He was the only person tried in American courts for the terrorist
attack on 9/11. Many people in our country, including many family members of
the victims of 9/11, had hoped that the courts would sentence Moussaoui to
death. Some people see a life sentence as an act of mercy. One juror kept
Moussaoui from a death sentence. Technically, one of the issues was just how
involved Moussaoui was in the 9/11 plot. Nevertheless, many people interpreted
the jury’s decision as a declaration that we in the United States are not ruled
by vengeance. We can step back from our rage at 9/11 and make careful
distinctions. We are angry over 9/11, but our anger doesn’t control us. Fr.
Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
5) “It’s a new life,
almost like a resurrection.” Immaculee Ilibagiza was a 22-year-old
university student in the 1990s when terrible violence broke out in her home
country of Rwanda. Hutus killed her parents, her brothers, and hundreds of her
Tutsi friends. A Hutu pastor, who risked his life to save her, hid her and six
other women. They lived in a small bathroom, a wooden wardrobe covering the
door. For three months, they endured hunger, fear, and the sounds of soldiers
in the house unsuccessfully searching for Tutsis. In those cramped quarters,
she began to pray the Rosary. Always she stumbled over the Lord’s Prayer:
“Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” She
knew that the prayer called her to forgive those who had killed her family and
endangered her. She didn’t think she could do it, but she realized she was
consumed by hate. She was afraid she would become like the people who had
killed her family. Nevertheless, in her mind, forgiving her family’s killers
was like forgiving the devil. Finally, afraid that her hate would crush her
heart, she asked God to forgive those who had done her so much harm. Slowly,
with God’s help, she was able to let go and forgive her family’s killers.
Eventually, she even visited one of her brother’s killers in prison, taking his
hand and offering forgiveness. She says that forgiveness saved her life. “It’s
a new life, almost like a resurrection.” [Bob Smietana, “Woman Challenged to
Forgive Massacre of Family in Rwanda,” United Methodist Reporter (152.51,
April 28, 2006), p. 3A.] Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
6) Hate destroys the
hater: In Martin Luther
King’s sermon, “Knock at
Midnight,“ King says, “My
brother A.D. and I were traveling from Atlanta to Chattanooga on a dark and
stormy night. For some reason, travelers were very discourteous that night.
Hardly a single driver dimmed their lights. Finally, A.D. who was driving,
said, ‘I have had enough’ as he powered his lights back on bright. I said,
‘Don’t do that, you are going to cause a wreck and get us killed.’ Somebody
must have sense enough to dim their lights, to break the cycle of hate. If
somebody doesn’t have sense enough to turn on the dim and beautiful lights of
love, we are all going to plunge into the abyss.”‘ A suicide bomber blows up a crowded bus in Israel. Israel
responds by destroying an entire Palestinian village. The Palestinians react
with more suicide bombers. Who is going to break the cycle of hate? A Chinese Proverb puts it
succinctly, “Whoever pursues revenge should dig two graves; one for his
injurer, and one for himself.” Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
7) “We will pray.” Bonhoeffer,
facing death said, in Cost of Discipleship, “We are approaching an
age of widespread persecution. Our adversaries seek to root out the Christian
Church because they cannot live side by side with us. So, what shall we do? We
will pray. It will be a prayer of earnest love for those who stand around and
gaze at us with eyes aflame with hatred, and who have perhaps already raised
their hands to kill us.” Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
8) “With malice
toward none; with charity for all:” In his second Inaugural address,
March 4, 1865, just a little over a month before he would be assassinated,
Abraham Lincoln uttered these immortal words: “With malice toward none; with
charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right,
let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds,
to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his
orphan—to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves
and with all nations.” Abraham Lincoln spoke those words at the end of a time
in our nation’s history when America almost did to herself what no one else has
been able to do—destroy her. Though the war was over, the battle was not.
Bitterness, rancor and anger were still at a fever pitch in this country. But
Lincoln knew something that Jesus will teach us today, and that is that the
only salve that can cure the wound of bitterness between enemies is the salve
of love. But this is more than just an ordinary love. It is a super-ordinary,
supernatural love that loves the absolutely unlovable. Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
9) “Michael Whitman
is no friend of mine.” Toward the end of the Revolutionary War, a
turncoat traitor, named Michael Whitman, was captured. At his trial it was
proven that he had given the British army invaluable assistance on numerous
occasions. He was found guilty of spying and sentenced to death by hanging.
Michael Whitman was from a town called Ephrata. Word got back to that town of
his imprisonment and impending execution. There was a Baptist preacher who also
lived in that town whose name was Peter Miller. He heard about Michael
Whitman’s plight and walked 70 miles in the cold and the snow to Philadelphia
to see George Washington. George Washington and Peter Miller were very close
friends. Miller had done a great many favors for the army; he had given them
spiritual nourishment and emotional strength during difficult times. When he
came in to see George Washington he said, “General, I have a favor to ask of
you.” Washington said, “What is it?” He said, “I have come to ask you to pardon
Michael Whitman.” George Washington was stunned. He said, “Pastor Miller,
that’s impossible. Whitman has done everything in his power to betray us, even
offering to join the British and help destroy us. I cannot be lenient with
traitors, and for that reason I cannot pardon your friend.” Peter Miller said,
“Friend! He’s no friend of mine. He’s the bitterest enemy I’ve ever had in my
life. For years he persecuted me and harassed me. He did everything he could to
hurt my Church and to hinder the preaching of the Gospel. He even waited for me
one time after Church and beat me almost senseless, spitting in my face,
knowing full well I would not strike him back.” He said, “General, let’s get
this straight—Michael Whitman is no friend of mine.” George Washington was
puzzled. He said, “But you asked me to pardon him.” He said, “I have, and I ask
you to do it to me as a personal favor.” He said, “Why?” He said, “Because
that’s exactly what Jesus has done for you and for me.” With tears in his eyes,
George Washington walked into the next room and soon returned with a paper on
which was written the pardon of Michael Whitman. Peter Miller went personally
with him to the stockade, saved Michael Whitman from the hangman’s noose, and
personally took him back to his own home where he led him to Faith in Jesus
Christ. Peter Miller was right. What he did for Michael Whitman, Jesus Christ
has done for us, and on the cross, He spoke to us as we should speak to others:
“With malice toward none; with charity toward all.” Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
10) “Get in or I’ll
blow your head off.” Susan Apointe was getting out of her car at a
grocery store when a parolee from the state prison stuck a gun in her face and
said, “Get in or I’ll blow your head off.” Susan got back in the car but
immediately said, “In the name of Jesus you are not going to blow my head off.
Jesus loves you and I don’t hate you.” The man wanted money for his sick
daughter so Susan wrote a check for $600 and went by the bank and cashed it. He
also complained of unemployment so Susan suggested he apply at Sears where she
worked. Downtown by now, Susan told him to take her car, she would catch the
bus and with that he leaped from the car and walked away. Susan used the
information to help police put him back in prison. But she said, “I pray for
him every day. He has already had a brush with the word of God; he was sitting
on my Bible the whole time!” Was Susan Apointe extraordinarily Christian or
simply crazy? We can decide for ourselves in the light of Sermon on the
Mount. Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
11) “We’ve got to
unload all of this.” According to an A.P. account, in September 1994, Cindy
Hartman of Conway, Arkansas, walked into her house to answer the phone and was
confronted by a burglar. He ripped the phone cord out of the wall and ordered
her into a closet. Hartman dropped to her knees and asked the burglar if she
could pray for him. “I want you to know that God loves you and I forgive you,”
she said. The burglar apologized for what he had done. Then he yelled out the
door to a woman in a pickup truck: “We’ve got to unload all of this. This is a
Christian home and a Christian family. We can’t do this to them.” As Hartman
remained on her knees, the burglar returned furniture he had taken from her
home. Then he took the bullets out of his gun, handed the gun to Hartman, and
walked out the door. (PreachingToday.com) Fr. Kadavil
(http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
12) “Are you the guy
who’s always yelling at me?” Former Boston Red Sox Hall-of-Fame third
baseman Wade Boggs hated Yankee Stadium. Not because of the Yankees; they never
gave him that much trouble but because of a fan. That’s right: one fan. The guy
had a box seat close to the field, and when the Red Sox were in town, he would
torment Boggs by shouting obscenities and insults. It’s hard to imagine one fan
getting under a player’s skin, but this guy had the recipe. One day as Boggs
was warming up, the fan began his routine, yelling, ‘Boggs, you stink,’ and
variations on that theme. Boggs had enough. He walked directly over to the man,
who was sitting in the stands…and said, ‘Hey fella, are you the guy who’s
always yelling at me? The man said, ‘Yeah, it’s me. What are you going to do
about it?’ Wade took a new baseball out of his pocket, autographed it, tossed
it to the man, and went back to the field to his pre-game routine. The man
never yelled at Boggs again; in fact, he became one of Wade’s biggest fans at
Yankee Stadium. “Love your enemies,” Jesus advises us. It
might change them, and we know it will change you. (PreachingToday.com). Fr.
Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
13) Should I forgive? On
February 6, 1995 our daughter was shot to death by her former boyfriend, the
father of her youngest child. At that time, the child was one year old. Our
daughter was the mother of four young boys that her father and I now
raise. We feel blessed, but I still have days when anger is at the top of
my list of emotions. The issues that our grandsons deal with are tenfold. The
father of the two oldest has never consoled them and the seventeen-year-old is
trying to put his life together from scattered pieces. I think he will manage
but it is painful for him. The next to the oldest misses his mother so deeply
and he is very good about expressing it. He is growing in awareness and
self-worth and will be fine. We have just learned that the third from the
oldest has a different father than the oldest two boys. This came to be a great
struggle to explain but we are moving on with this too. The youngest child is
so full of words that wake you up and teach you what love is and where it truly
comes from. From shattered lives you can find peace, hope, promise and great
spiritual growth if you learn not to forget but to forgive, and to keep things
honest, and not hide, but work with all aspects of the trauma. You must forgive
yourself, and know that healing takes individual time, and there is no finish
line, but a path that has twists and turns that may lead you up and down. When
you’re up, share what you have learned. When you’re down, learn what you can” (http://www.forgiving.org). There is no
doubt that many people in our society have suffered tremendously. But we
must not live our lives filled with hate. Jesus calls us to forgive our
enemies. Gaze upon the Crucified and listen to his first of the seven words
from the Cross: “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are
doing.” Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
14) A murderer was
gassed. The warden left the death chamber and walked through the jail. A
convict shouted, “Who’s the murderer now?” An ABC News Poll says that almost
80% of Americans support capital punishment. 42% of that number says that they
seek revenge for deeds done by the criminals. But Jesus in today’s Gospel
asserts that retaliation and revenge are not Christian. (Fr. James
Gilhooley). Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
15) Forgiveness of St. Maria & Assunta
Goretti: St. Maria Goretti, known affectionately to her family and
friends as Marietta, was born in Italy in the year 1890 into a poor family near
Nettuno, 20 miles outside of Rome. In response to Maria’s repeated refusals of
his indecent overtures, on that fateful day July 5, 1902, the frustrated
Alessandro was to stab Maria 14 times, causing her to suffer an agonizing
death. She succumbed the next day because of her wounds. She had repeatedly
warned Alessandro he was risking eternal damnation. As she lay dying, when the
parish priest of Nettuno brought her Holy Viaticum and asked whether she
forgave Alessandro, she replied, “Yes, I forgive him and want him to be in
Paradise with me some day.” Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
After 27 years of imprisonment, Alessandro was released. He
was spared 3 years of confinement due to being a model prisoner. After various
wanderings as a farm laborer, he was to spend the rest of his life living in a
Capuchin monastery at Macerata. There the good Capuchins called him “brother.”
In the chapel of the monastery Alessandro was able to attend
daily Mass and to find peace and solitude. He was to visit Assunta Goretti,
whom he had last seen 31 years before at his trial. He begged Assunta’s
forgiveness. She placed her hands on his head, caressed his face and gently
said, “Alessandro, Marietta forgave you, Christ has forgiven you, and why
should I not also forgive? I forgive you, of course, my son! Why have I not
seen you sooner? Your evil days are past, and to me, you are a long-suffering
son.” (DiDonato, p. 142). “The next morning people in the village of Corinaldo
witnessed what could only happen among the poor of Christ. Assunta Goretti,
with head held high and tears falling, took Alessandro Serenelli by the hand as
a mother takes a son, and led him to Mass. At the altar rail side by side, she
and he- he who had killed her daughter- raised their open mouths to partake of
the flesh and blood of Jesus.” (DiDonato, pages 142-146) From that time he was
welcomed in that profoundly Christian family of the Gorettis as “Uncle
Alessandro”. Alessandro would testify at length at the canonical process for
the beatification of Maria Goretti- the only witness who could detail what had
actually happened in a brutal murder. He died at the age of 89 after a long
life of prayer and penance in expiation of his crime, always invoking the
intercession of St. Maria Goretti as his “protector.” It was a remarkable scene
on June 24, 1950 at the canonization of St. Maria Goretti in the open Piazza of
St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. “Never before had a million souls come to St.
Peter’s Basilica all at one time, nor in Catholic history had there ever been
present at the ceremony of canonization the mother of the Saint.” (DiDonato) (http://www.mariagoretti.org/likoudisarticle2.htm) Fr.
Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
16) “That was for
me.” One day, Mother Teresa was asking a baker for some bread to feed
the hungry children in her orphanage. The baker was furious with her request
for free bread. Not only did he turn her down, he spat at her. In response to
his outrageous actions, Mother Teresa calmly reached deep into her pocket, took
out her handkerchief, wiped the spit off and said “That was for me; now what about some bread for my poor children?”
The baker was touched by Mother Teresa’s love and greatness, complied and
thereafter provided bread for the children in the orphanage. (http://baselearning.blogspot.com/2007/07/inspirational-lesson-learned-from.html) Fr.
Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
17) Cardinal Van
Thuan Confuses His Guards with Christ’s love: Cardinal Francis Xavier
Van Thuan spent 14 years in prison in Communist Viet Nam. They arrested and
even tortured him, trying to get him to give up his Catholic Faith. But
instead, he chose to live his Faith passionately, even in prison, work camps,
and solitary confinement. Here is how he describes what happened. “In the
beginning, the guards did not talk to me. I was terribly sad. I wanted to be
kind and polite with them, but it was impossible. They avoided speaking with
me. One night a thought came to me: ‘Francis, you are still very rich. You have
the love of Christ in your heart; love them as Jesus has loved you.’ The next
day I started to love them even more, to love Jesus in them, smiling and
exchanging kind words with them. I began to tell them stories of my trips
abroad, of how people live in America, in Canada, in Japan, in the Philippines…
about economics, about freedom, about technology. This stimulated their
curiosity and they began asking me many questions. Little by little we became
friends. They wanted to learn foreign languages, French, English… And my guards
became my students! [In the interest of time, you may want to include
only one of the following anecdotes.] Cardinal Van Thuan’s truly
Christ-like approach to his relationship with his atheist, Communist guards,
led to some remarkable experiences. The Cardinal describes how one guard agreed
to let him make a wooden cross for himself even though it was severely
forbidden to have any religious signs at all. When the guard at first objected,
the Cardinal answered, “I know, but we are friends, and I promise to keep it
hidden.” So, the guard walked away and let the Cardinal make his cross. In
another prison, Cardinal Van Thuan asked another guard, who had also become his
friend, for some electrical wire. Here is how the conversation went: The guard,
frightened, answered: “I learned at the Police Academy that when someone asks
for electrical wire it means they want to kill themselves!” “Catholic priests
don’t commit suicide.” “But what do you want to do with electrical wire?” “I
would like to make a chain to carry my cross.” “How can you make a chain with
electrical wire? It’s impossible.” “If you bring me two small pincers,
I’ll show you.” “It’s too dangerous!” “But we’re friends!” Three days later the
guard brought the wire and the pincers and together they made a chain for his
cross – the atheist Communist police officer helping the imprisoned bishop with
his vestments. That’s the power of
Christ-like love, the love we are all called to live. (Taken from “Testimony
of Hope”.] E- Priest Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
18) St. Pachomius
Gets Inspired: St. Pachomius [pah-COMB-ee-uhs] lived in the 300s, in
Egypt. He was a truly amazing saint, a real volcano of activity and
holiness. In gratitude for the grace of Baptism, he retreated into
the deserts of Egypt and apprenticed himself to a hermit in order to learn how
best to serve God. Together they lived alarmingly austere lives –
sleeping sitting up, never eating a full meal, frequently praying and working
all night long. This was their strategy for mastering their sinful tendencies
and putting their whole heart, mind, and strength into loving God. One day
Pachomius had a vision of an angel instructing him to build a monastery on the
banks of the Nile. He obeyed, and soon a trickle of followers filled
the few cells, followed by more and more men who felt called to give their lives
to penance and prayer. Soon he founded other monasteries, wrote a
series of guidelines for monastic life, and inspired countless other Christians
with his humility, patience, and miracles. By the time he died while
serving the sick in an epidemic, his nine monasteries housed over 3,000 monks,
and the monastic movement, which has ever since been filling the world with
holiness and wisdom, was under way. But the most interesting thing about
the spiritual life of St. Pachomius is its beginning. His remarkable career of holiness
began with a simple act of Christian charity. Before his Baptism,
Pachomius had been drafted into the imperial army. As he and the other
recruits were being transported down the Nile under horrific conditions, a
group of Egyptian Christians gave them food, fresh clothing, and other
necessities. Pachomius never forgot this, and as soon as his military service
was over, he went to the nearest Christian church in order to be
baptized. A few Christians going out of their way to share the light of
Christ with some pagan soldiers lit a fire of love in the heart of St.
Pachomius that is still warming this cold world today. Christ-like love is
about giving, not getting – that’s what will change this world. (Details
taken from taken from Catholic.net’s Daily Saints) (E- Priest). Fr.
Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
19) “Be Holy for
I your God am holy!” Lutz Long was one of the best German athletes and
a favorite of Adolf Hitler. During the long-jump trial, he broke several
Olympic records. The only other person who could beat him was Jesse Owens.
Hitler hated the black athlete and moved out of the pavilion when Jesse
recorded his trial. Jesse was upset with the treatment of Hitler. He fouled his
first trial and failed to qualify in the second trial. There was only one last
chance to redeem himself. At that moment Jesse felt a tap on his shoulder. It
was Lutz Long his competitor. He advised him to draw a line a few inches short
of the take off. Jesse followed the advice of his opponent. He succeeded and
qualified for the event. From that moment onwards a bond of friendship
developed between the two athletes. Later on, Jesse had to compete with
Lutz and won against his advisor. Jesse went on to win three gold medals.
Hitler looked at the black athlete with anger and contempt, but Lutz held his
hand and praised him for his achievement. Lutz, an ordinary athlete not only
followed the law but went beyond the law. He practiced the law of love against
his opponent. – All of us need a transformation! The world needs to change.
Only true charity and forgiveness can bring about this change. That was what
Jesus meant when he prayed, “Father forgive them for they do not know what they
do.” The specialty of Christian love is not mere forgiveness but love that
transforms enemies. (Elias Dias in Divine Stories for Families;
quoted by Fr. Botelho). Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
20) “What you
do to the least, you do to me!” Travelling during his term as Vice
President, Thomas Jefferson requested a room at Baltimore’s principal hotel.
The Vice President was travelling alone, without secretary or servant; it had
been a long day and it showed in his clothes and appearance. The proprietor,
not recognizing his distinguished guest, refused him a room. After Mr.
Jefferson left, the proprietor learned that he had just turned from his
establishment the Vice President of the United States. The horrified proprietor
immediately sent his servants to find Mr. Jefferson and offered him whatever
accommodation he wished. A servant found the Vice President at a small inn
where he had taken a room for the night. Mr. Jefferson sent the servant back to
the hotel’s proprietor with this message: “Tell your master I value his good
intentions highly, but if he has no room for a dirty farmer, he shall have none
for this Vice president.” – Jesus is in the least and shabbiest person,
especially if we consider that person our enemy. (Gerard Miller in Stories
for all Seasons; quoted by Fr. Botelho). Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
21) Loving ones
enemies actually works! For twenty-eight years, Nelson Mandela was
locked away in prison in South Africa. His children were kicked out of school
and prevented from getting jobs. It would have been easy for Nelson Mandela to
walk out of his prison cell, a seething cauldron of revenge. But Mandela tells
how after he was put in jail, he knew he had to make a decision. As he saw it,
he could either spend his time in jail hating all the people who put him there,
or he could choose something else. He chose instead to respect those he came
into contact with each day, and it made all the difference in the world. And
because of the suffering he endured and his ability to forgive his enemies,
Mandela gained a great deal of moral authority that enabled him to lead his
country peacefully out of apartheid when almost everyone had anticipated a
bloodbath. At his inauguration as the first democratically elected president of
South Africa, one of those prison guards was Mandela’s special guest. Mandela
found that loving one’s enemies actually works. (John Pichappilly in The
Table of the Word; quoted by Fr. Botelho). Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
22) “Love
your enemies and pray for them.” In the film “To Kill a
Mockingbird”, Gregory Peck plays the part of a white lawyer defending a
black man accused (wrongly, as it turns out) of rape. One day one of the white
townspeople comes up to Peck and spits in his face to express his disgust at a
white man defending a “nigger” who raped a white woman. Peck stands there
dignified and silent and slowly wipes the spit from his cheek. He says nothing;
he does nothing. But it is clear which of the two men has lost his dignity.
(And, of course, it turns out that it was a white man who raped the girl.) Fr.
Eugene Lobo S.J. Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
23) You are
forgiven: The Caliph Hassan, successor to Mohammed, was one day at
table when a slave accidentally dropped a dish of meat severely burning the
Caliph. Frightened for his life, the slave fell on his knees before his Lord
and repeated these words of their spiritual book, “Paradise is for those who
control their anger.” “I am not angry with you,” replied the Caliph. “And for
those who forgive offences,” the slave went on. “I forgive you,” added the
Caliph. “But above all for those who return good for evil,” said the slave. To
this the Caliph declared, “I set you at liberty and give you ten gold coins.”
(J. Maurus in A Source Book of Inspiration). Fr.
Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
24) Revenge beyond
limit: In the winter of 326 BC, Alexander personally led a campaign
against the clans of the Assakenoi of the Swat and Buner valleys. A fierce
contest ensued. The Assakenoi fought bravely and offered stubborn resistance to
Alexander in the strongholds of Massaga. The fort of Massaga could only be
reduced after several days of bloody fighting in which Alexander himself was
wounded seriously in the ankle. Alexander and his army took revenge for the
wound he suffered by slaughtering the entire population of the city. Not being
satisfied with that, they reduced its buildings to rubbles. Since the revenge
often surpassed the offense, ancient legal systems had formulas that were
applied to specific crimes, laws that prescribed punishments equal to the
offenses. A common expression was: “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” We
find another one of those formulas expressed in the Book of Genesis where in
Chapter 9 we read: If anyone sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be
shed… (Genesis 9:6). Jesus’ audience was familiar with that system of
retribution, and they accepted it as the best means of ensuring justice. So,
the words of Jesus, “I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who
persecute you,” must have sounded strange in their ears. In contemporary
history, too, we find instances, where revenge was hundreds of times greater
than that of the offense. In 1940, during the Second World War, a British
bombing mission had struck Berlin – ostensibly by mistake. To take revenge on
this Hitler ordered London to be targeted. Thus, civilian bombing of London
began, causing the death of thousands, and spreading misery to many. The
history of the recent past is full of incidents of massacre, prompted by
individuals or nations. Hence, the words of Jesus, “love your enemies and pray
for those who persecute you” must sound strange in our ears, too. (Fr. Bobby
Jose). Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
25) What We Grab Also
Grabs Us: Once there was an eagle which hovered over a lake and
suddenly swooped down and caught a two-foot long fish in its talons. Slowly,
the bird rose with its ten-pound catch, but when it reached about 1,000 feet, it
began to descend, until it splashed into the water. Later, both the bird and
fish were found dead. Apparently, the fish was too heavy for the eagle, but it
could not let go, for its talons were embedded in the flesh of the fish. The
truth is that what we grab, grabs us. When we grab alcohol, drugs, or sex, it
grabs us and brings us down to death. (John Brokhoff, Old Truths for
New Times, CSS Publishing Company, Inc.) Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
26) Going Beyond
Duty: The Second Mile: Shortly after the battles ended the American
Revolution, but before the peace had been negotiated, George Washington was
with his troops in Newburgh, New York. But they began to grow very restless
because they hadn’t been paid. Washington had begged the Continental Congress
to do what they said they would do and pay the soldiers, but they refused.
Well, some of the officers began to organize a rebellion. They talked about
marching on Philadelphia, which was at that time the seat of the reigning
national government and overthrowing that government and letting the army rule
the nation. With the fate of America in the balance, George Washington made a
surprise appearance before these officers. After praising them for their
service and thanking them for their sacrifice, he pulled from his pocket a copy
of a speech that he wished to read. But then he fumbled with a paper and
finally reached for a set of reading glasses-glasses those men had never seen
him wear before. Washington made this simple statement: “I have already grown
grey in the service of my country, and now I am going blind.” Historian Richard
Norton Smith wrote: “Instantly rebellion melted into tears. It was a
galvanizing moment, and the rebellion…” was put down because they had seen
before them a second-miler. Becoming a Christian is one thing; being a
Christian is another one. Every chance you get for the glory of Jesus, for the
goodness of others, and because of the grace of God, go the second mile. (James
Merritt, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com)
Fr. Tony Kayala. Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
27) “I forgive you,” Immaculée
Ilibagiza was born in a small village in Rwanda, Africa. In 1994, when she was
home on spring break, the Hutu president of Rwanda was assassinated, and the
country was swept by reprisals against the Tutsi’s, her tribe (source https://www.immaculee.com/pages/about and
her book, Left to Tell). Armed Hutu men went from house to house, slaughtering
every Tutsi they found. Immaculée fled to the local pastor’s house, and to
avoid being murdered, she had to hide in a 3 x 4-foot bathroom for 91 days with
seven other women. As she endured this, she also felt anger and resentment
destroying her and started praying the rosary: “I said the Lord’s Prayer
hundreds of times, hoping to forgive the killers who were murdering all around
me. It was no use-every time I got to the part asking God to ‘forgive those who
trespass against us,’ my mouth went dry. I couldn’t say the words because I
didn’t truly embrace the feeling behind them. My inability to forgive caused me
even greater pain than the anguish I felt in being separated from my family,
and it was worse than the physical torment of being constantly hunted.” When
she finally left that bathroom, she learned that all her family, with the
exception of one brother studying abroad, had been murdered. A million people
had been massacred. After the genocide, she was shown led to the man, now in
prison, who had murdered her mother and brother. He had been one of her
neighbors, and the prison staff was prepared to kill him on her behalf. When
she’d been in that bathroom, she had imagined killing the Hutus who had done so
much evil. Despite all she had suffered, she simply said, “I forgive you,” and
walked away. Through her prayer, she had triumphed over her anger and
resentment and found God. Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
28) “It was easy. I
just kept my eyes fixed on the lightening rod:” It was winter and it had
snowed heavily. A group of children were trying to see who could make the
straightest track across a snowy field. Only one of them succeeded in making a
path which was almost perfectly straight. When asked how he managed to do it,
he said, “It was easy. I just
kept my eyes fixed on the lightening rod on top of the barn at the end of the
field – while the rest of you kept looking at your feet.” The First Reading of
today from the Book of Leviticus asserts that God alone is the source of all
holiness and in order to strive towards holiness, our eyes are always to
be fixed upon Him. Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
29) “But trifles make
perfection, perfection is no trifle.” The great sculptor,
Michelangelo, was at work on one of his statues when a friend called on him and
said – “I can’t see any difference in the statue since I came here a week
ago. Have you not been doing any work all the week?” “Yes! I have been working
the whole week along, “said the sculptor – “See, I have retouched this
part, softened this feature, strengthened this muscle, and put more life into
that limb.” “But those are only trifles,” said the friend. “True,
“said Michelangelo, “but trifles make perfection, and perfection is no trifle.”
Today’s Gospel passage concludes with Jesus saying, “Be perfect,
just as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
30) Brush-back pitch: In
baseball there is such a thing as a brush-back pitch. A pitcher throws a
90-mile-per-hour fastball at a batter, forcing him to back off the plate,
making him less willing to stand firm in the batter’s box and wait for the
right pitch. When a brush-back pitch is thrown, there is a clear expectation
that the opposing pitcher will throw another one in retaliation. Fr.
Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
31) Imperial revenge: In
the winter of 326 BC, Alexander personally led a campaign against the clans of
the Assakenoi of the Swat and Buner valleys. A fierce contest ensued. The
Assakenoi fought bravely and offered stubborn resistance to Alexander in the
strongholds of Massaga. The fort of Massaga could only be reduced after several
days of bloody fighting in which Alexander himself was wounded seriously in the
ankle. Alexander and his army took revenge for the wound he suffered by
slaughtering the entire population of the city. Not being satisfied with that,
they reduced its buildings to rubbles. Since the revenge often surpassed the
offense, ancient legal systems had formulas that were applied to specific
crimes, laws that prescribed punishments equal to the offenses. A common expression
was: “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” We find another one of those
formulas expressed in the Book of Genesis where in Chapter 9 we read: If anyone
sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed… (Genesis 9:6). Jesus
reverses this concept with his teaching on the Sermon on the mount, I say
to you: “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” “Never
try to get revenge…if your enemy is hungry you should give him food, and if he
is thirsty, let him drink….resist evil and conquer it with good.” (Rom
12:19-21). (Fr. Bobby Jose). Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
32) Poison tree: In
the poem, “Poison Tree” William Blake gives a moral lesson of great importance.
He compares anger and hatred to a poison tree.
I was angry with my friend: I told my wrath, my wrath did
end.
I was angry with my foe: I told it not, my wrath did grow.
And I watered it in fears, Night and morning with my tears;
And I sunned it with smiles, And with soft deceitful wiles.
And it grew both day and night, Till it bore an apple
bright.
And my foe beheld it shine. And he knew that it was mine,
And into my garden stole, When the night had veiled the
pole;
In the morning glad I see My foe outstretched beneath the
tree. (Fr. Bobby Jose). Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
****
From Sermon Illustrations:
Mark Twain once said this about the Bible: "I have no problem with those parts of the Bible I don't understand. It's those parts of the Bible I do understand that gives me fits." The passage that we are going to study certainly fits into that category.
This passage illustrates something I bet most of you have never thought about before. One of the easiest things in the world to do is to become a Christian. It is ridiculously easy. All you have to do is confess you are a sinner, repent of your sin, believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sin and was raised from the dead, and surrender your life to Him as your Lord and Savior; and you become a Christian immediately and instantaneously. There is not an easier thing in the world than to become a Christian. But at the same time, one of the most difficult things in the world is to be a Christian, and you're going to see that illustrated this morning.
What Jesus says is totally antithetical to the typical attitude in America. Years ago there was a bumper sticker that became rather popular that simply said two words: "I Want." Now that tag would fit on just about every car in America. We live in the country of "I want." I want my rights; I want my happiness; I want my way; I want my money.
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Robert Valentine once compared Teddy Roosevelt and William Howard Taft as presidents. He said, "The difference was that when you left Teddy Roosevelt's presence you were ready to eat bricks for lunch, and when you left Taft you felt -- what's the use." (Felix Frankfurter, Felix Frankfurter Reminisces [1960], 85.)
We're hoping that when you leave church this morning, you're ready to eat bricks for lunch. But I hope you have something more wholesome.
Remember as a kid . . . you didn't want to go to bed while the adults were all gathered for something? You didn't want to miss out. You heard everyone laughing. Then you heard everyone talking in a low voice. What were they saying? What was so funny? You wanted to be in the midst of it too. You wanted to be a part of the fun and excitement, or what you perceived might be fun and exciting, even if it wasn't. In any case, you didn't want to be left out, while everyone else was "in."
The church was like that too once. Not too long ago, people wanted to be a part of the church so much they would purchase their pews a year in advance so that "their seat" would be waiting for them when they arrived, and they wouldn't miss out on any part of worship, or have to stand in the back to watch. Having your own pew meant you were part of the ones who "belonged." Others who couldn't afford a pew would gladly stand in the back or in the aisles if all the chairs were taken, or even watch from the outside if they weren't allowed in, just so they could be part of that worship in any way they could. And not too long ago, people in some denominations fiercely dreaded the status of being ostracized or shunned if it kept them from going to church, where they felt part of a community of worship. No matter what, you didn't want to miss out.
In late 2013, a new word was accepted into the Oxford English Dictionary to explain this kind of phenomenon. The word is "FOMO" - a short-hand acronym for the "fear of missing out"...
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Love Your Enemy
In a sermon written in a Georgia jail and preached just after the bus protest in Montgomery, Alabama, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said this about loving your enemies:
After noting that hate is just as injurious to the hater as the hated, Dr. King says,
"Of course this is not practical; life is a matter of getting even, of hitting back, of dog eat dog... My friends, we have followed the so-called practical way for too long a time now, and it has led inexorably to deeper confusion and chaos. Time is cluttered with the wreckage of communities which surrendered to hatred and violence. For the salvation of our nation and the salvation of mankind, we must follow another way. This does not mean that we abandon our righteous efforts. With every ounce of our energy we must continue to rid this nation of the incubus of segregation. But we shall not in the process relinquish our privilege and our obligation to love. While abhorring segregation, we shall love the segregationist. This is the only way to create the beloved community."
Martin Luther King, Jr., A Testament of Hope: the Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr., page 596, quoted by Chuck Queen, Love Your Enemies
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What Christians Are Really Made Of
This text from Matthew makes me recall the words of C.S. Lewis, "Surely what a man does when he is taken off his guard is the best evidence for what sort of man he is. If there are rats in a cellar, you are most likely to see them if you go in very suddenly. But the suddenness does not create the rats; it only prevents them from hiding. In the same way, the suddenness of the provocation does not make me ill-tempered; it only shows me what an ill-tempered man I am."
Think about the reaction that Christ calls us to have if someone strikes us on the cheek. What kind of a person would that make us? To turn the other cheek and refuse to react with similar anger or malice shows the world we are Christian. So if what we do when we are taken off guard is the best evidence of what sort of person we are, let us pray our reactions show that we are good Christians!
Adapted from C.S. Lewis
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Practice What You Admire
Once upon a time a prince was born physically deformed. He was known as the hunchback prince. His physical posture troubled him, because he knew a prince should stand tall and straight. One day he commissioned a sculptor to make a statue of him, not as he was but as he wanted to be. When the statue was completed, the prince had it placed in his private garden. Every day thereafter, he would stand before his statue and try to pull back his shoulders and stand tall. After some years, his physique matched the statue!
It is obvious, is it not, that the principle involved in this story is that what we admire, adore, greatly respect, and worship, we eventually become.
John Brokhoff, Old Truths for New Times, CSS Publishing Company
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Going Beyond Duty: The Second Mile
Shortly after the battles ended the American Revolution, but before the peace had been negotiated, George Washington was with his troops in Newburgh, New York. But they began to grow very restless because they hadn't been paid. Washington had begged the Continental Congress to do what they said they would do and pay the soldiers, but they refused.
Well, some of the officers began to organize a rebellion. They talked about marching on Philadelphia, which was at that time the seat of the reigning national government, and overthrowing that government and letting the army rule the nation.
With the fate of America in the balance, George Washington made a surprise appearance before these officers. After praising them for their service and thanking them for their sacrifice, he pulled from his pocket a copy of a speech that he wished to read. But then he fumbled with a paper and finally reached for a set of reading glasses-glasses those men had never seen him wear before. Washington made this simple statement: "I have already grown grey in the service of my country, and now I am going blind."
Historian Richard Norton Smith wrote: "Instantly rebellion melted into tears. It was a galvanizing moment, and the rebellion..." and the rebellion was put down because they had seen before them a second miler. Becoming a Christian is one thing; being a Christian is another one. Every chance you get for the glory of Jesus, for the goodness of others, and because of the grace of God, go the second mile.
James Merritt, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com
____________________________________
What We Grab Also Grabs Us
Once there was an eagle which hovered over a lake and suddenly swooped down and caught a two-foot long fish in its talons. Slowly, the bird rose with its ten pound catch, but when it reached about 1,000 feet, it began to descend, until it splashed into the water. Later, both the bird and fish were found dead. Apparently the fish was too heavy for the eagle, but it could not let go, for its talons were embedded in the flesh of the fish. The truth is that what we grab, grabs us. When we grab alcohol, drugs, or sex, it grabs us and brings us down to death.
John Brokhoff, Old Truths For New Times, CSS Publishing Company, Inc.
____________________________________
John Brokhoff, Old Truths For New Times, CSS Publishing Company, Inc.
____________________________________
Reconciliation: Refusing to Retaliate
It's a story that is repeated on every elementary school playground, nearly every day in our country. Two fourth-graders get into it during recess; something about "he did this, so I did that" and it kind of goes south from there. When they get back to class, Billy trips Joey. After lunch, Joey breaks Billy's pencil on purpose. When nobody is looking, Billy writes on Joey's desk, and later, Joey steals Billy's folder. After school, Billy and his friends face Joey and his friends, and they call each other names. Somebody gets hurt. Somebody else gets hurt worse. And then there is no telling when or if these conflicts will ever end.
Sound familiar? We have all experienced this sort of escalating pettiness and we readily admit that it is silly. But I would suggest to you that we can remove the names "Billy" and "Joey" and insert the words "husband" and "wife" and the story is much the same. Or we could insert the names of two rival high schools, or two rival companies, or "The Hatfields" and "The McCoys." Or Republicans and Democrats, or "pro-life" and "pro-choice," or Israel and Palestine, or America and almost any Arab nation you care to name. Conflict at any level is conflict. And if not preventable, most conflict is at least resolvable...but not until one side refuses to retaliate and instead decides to reconcile.
Steve Molin, He Hit Me First!
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A Christian Conception of Justice
The nature of men and of organized society dictates the maintenance in every field of action of the highest and purest standards of justice and of right dealing.... By justice the lawyer generally means the prompt, fair, and open application of impartial rules; but we call ours a Christian civilization, and a Christian conception of justice must be much higher. It must include sympathy and helpfulness and a willingness to forego self-interest in order to promote the welfare, happiness, and contentment of others and of the community as a whole.
Woodrow Wilson
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Love Your Enemies
Former Boston Red Sox Hall-of-Fame third baseman Wade Boggs hated Yankee Stadium. Not because of the Yankees; they never gave him that much trouble but because of a fan. That's right: one fan.
The guy had a box seat close to the field, and when the Red Sox were in town he would torment Boggs by shouting obscenities and insults. It's hard to imagine one fan getting under a player's skin, but this guy had the recipe.
One day as Boggs was warming up, the fan began his routine, yelling, 'Boggs, you stink' and variations on that theme. Boggs had enough. He walked directly over to the man, who was sitting in the stands, and said, "Hey fella, are you the guy who's always yelling at me?" The man said, "Yeah, it's me. What are you going to do about it?"
Wade took a new baseball out of his pocket, autographed it, tossed it to the man, and went back to the field to continue his pre-game routine.
The man never yelled at Boggs again; in fact, he became one of Wades' biggest fans at Yankee Stadium.
***************
LOVE OF ENEMIES
In The Grace of Giving, Stephen Olford tells of a Baptist pastor during the American Revolution, Peter Miller, who lived in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, and enjoyed the friendship of George Washington. In Ephrata also lived Michael Wittman, an evil-minded sort who did all he could to oppose and humiliate the pastor. One day Michael Wittman was arrested for treason and sentenced to die. Peter Miller traveled seventy miles on foot to Philadelphia to plead for the life of the traitor.
"No, Peter," General Washington said. "I cannot grant you the life of your friend."
"My friend!" exclaimed the old preacher. "He's the bitterest enemy I have."
"What?" cried Washington. "You've walked seventy miles to save the life of an enemy? That puts the matter in different light. I'll grant your pardon." And he did.
Peter Miller took Michael Wittman back home to Ephrata--no longer an enemy but a friend.
Lynn Jost.
“He couldn't fight, either.”
One day a truck driver stopped at a restaurant for dinner and ordered a steak. Before he could eat it, in walked a motorcycle gang, with dirty leather jackets and long, unkempt hair. They took the man's steak, cut it into six pieces, and ate it. The driver said nothing. He simply paid the bill and walked out. One of the gang members said, "That man couldn't talk. He didn't say a word." Another one said, "He couldn't fight, either; he didn't lift a hand." A waiter added, "I would say that he couldn't drive either. On his way out of the parking lot, he ran over six motorcycles crushing all of them." Something in us loves that story, because we like retaliation. But in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus prescribes forgiving love as the Christian trump card.
ENEMIES
Pay attention to your enemies, for they are the first to discover your mistakes.
Antisthenes.
Rabbi David A. Nelson likes to tell the story of two brothers who went to their rabbi to settle a longstanding feud. The rabbi got the two to reconcile their differences and shake hands. As they were about to leave, he asked each one to make a wish for the other in honor of the Jewish New Year. The first brother turned to the other and said, "I wish you what you wish me." At that, the second brother threw up his hands and said, "See, Rabbi, he's starting up again!"
David A. Nelson.
LOVE OF ENEMIES
In "Context," Mary Marty retells a parable from the "Eye of the Needle" newsletter: A holy man was engaged in his morning meditation under a tree whose roots stretched out over the riverbank. During his meditation he noticed that the river was rising, and a scorpion caught in the roots was about to drown. He crawled out on the roots and reached down to free the scorpion, but every time he did so, the scorpion struck back at him. An observer came along and said to the holy man, "Don't you know that's a scorpion, and it's in the nature of a scorpion to want to sting?" To which the holy man replied, 'That may well be, but it is my nature to save, and must I change my nature because the scorpion does not change its nature?"
Joseph B. Modica.
In 1632, at the Battle of Lutzen during the 30 year's war, King Gustavus Adolphus was shot in the back while leading his cavalry in a charge against the Catholic armies of the Holy Roman Empire. Who actually killed him remains an unanswered question. However, many historical authorities insist that Gustavus must have been killed by one of his own men, if not accidentally then intentionally by a traitor.
Source Unknown.
Statistics and Stuff
Politics without principle, pleasure without conscience, wealth without work, knowledge without character, business without morality, science without humanity, worship without sacrifice.
Mohandas K. Gandhi, on things that will destroy us.
Humor
A reporter was interviewing an old man on his 100th birthday. "What are you most proud of?" he asked. "Well, " said the man, "I don't have an enemy in the world." "What a beautiful thought! How inspirational!" said the reporter. "Yep," added the centenarian, "outlived every last one of them."
Source Unknown.
