February 20, 2022
Seventh Sunday Ordinary C
“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you†is for many a nonstarter, time to walk out, sermon is over! The 12, the disciples and the crowd hearing this imperative from Jesus are living in a Middle East culture of honor/shame. It would be inconceivable to receive a slap on one cheek and then turn the other cheek. To restore honor you are expected to fight back. For us today in a world of hostility when Russia threatens the Ukraine, the teaching of Jesus seems impossibly ideal and even foolhardy. Yet some people do come to embrace this countercultural way of life espoused by Jesus Christ.
Ben Salmon conscientiously objected to World War I. What makes Ben unique, he was a devout Catholic and member of the Knights of Columbus. While the government made provision for members of historic “peace churches,†like the Quakers, there was no precedent at the time for recognizing Catholic conscientious objectors. He received no support from his Church. A military court sentenced him to death and then reduced the sentence to twenty-five years in prison. Ben was kept in solitary confinement. After a hunger strike, he was forced fed. He was given an early release and lived quietly with his wife and three children. Dorothy Day was renowned for co-founding the Catholic Worker newspaper and special homes for helping the poor during the great depression. She was a pacifist and social justice activist who opposed our involvement in World War II. While receiving scorn in her lifetime, she is now being considered as a Catholic Saint.
The teaching of Jesus makes us uncomfortable. He is asking us to go to a place “out of place†in our world. We can summarize his teaching in two verses from our Gospel (according to St. Luke). “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.†“For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.†Jesus lived his teaching to the end. He forgives his enemies from the cross.
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Sixth Sunday Ordinary Time C
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Eighth Sunday Ordinary C
