Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
† Sunday 18th February 2001

Theme: Jesus teaches us to have mercy

First Book of Samuel 26 : 2, 7 - 9, 12 - 1 3, 22 - 23
The young man David is very popular with the people, and King Saul is jealous to the point of madness. Saul plans to kill David, who warned by the king’s son Jonathan, escapes to the wilderness. In this text, David, unjustly accused, tracked by King Saul and his army into the wilderness, has his opportunity to take revenge and to kill the king. Instead, David demonstrates his honour and loyalty, and the reading ends with the punch line, with David saying to Saul, “The Lord God repays everyone for their uprightness and loyalty. Today the Lord put you in my power, but I would not raise my hand against the Lord’s anointed.” The reading prepares us for the command in the gospel passage today, that we must learn to love our enemies.

First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians 15 : 45 - 49
Paul understands the figure of Adam, as the one first given breath and life in the image and likeness of God. In contrast with that earthly Adam who also brought death to mankind, Paul sees Christ as the new Adam who through death and resurrection brings new life to the world. Even within each of us Paul sees the earthly nature of that first sinful Adam, now transformed by Christ, “we who have been modelled on the earthly man, will now be modelled on the heavenly.”

The Gospel according to Luke 6 : 27 - 38
When someone stronger hits you, your first instinct is not to present the other cheek! What Jesus is saying here to his would-be disciples, is very radical and different. Normally, we would place self protection first, but another form of human conduct is expected of the Christian disciple. It is not a question of just giving in and allowing the stronger bully to have their way. Instead it is about sharing and giving love even to ones’ enemies, “Love your enemies,” says Jesus, “and do good, and lend without hope of return. …do not judge, and you will not be judged yourselves…Give and there will be gifts for you…the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given back.” For this is how God behaves, “being kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.”