Sunday, February 23, 2014
7th Sunday in Ordinary Time
1st Reading: Lev 19:1–2, 17–18
Ps 103:1–2, 3–4, 8, 10, 12–13
2nd Reading: 1 Cor 3:16–23
Gospel: Mt 5:38–48
Jesus said to his disciples, “You have heard that it was said: An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I tell you this: do not oppose evil with evil; if someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn and offer the other. If someone sues you in court for your shirt, give your coat as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give when asked and do not turn your back on anyone who wants to borrow from you. “You have heard that it was said: Love your neighbor and do not do good to your enemy. But this I tell you: Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in Heaven. For he makes his sun rise on both the wicked and the good, and he gives rain to both the just and the unjust. “If you love those who love you, what is special about that? Do not even tax collectors do as much? And if you are friendly only to your friends, what is so exceptional about that? Do not even the pagans do as much? For your part you shall be righteous and perfect in the way your heavenly Father is righteous and perfect.”
(Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)
Our clamor for justice is hardly without any hidden desire to savor sweet revenge. Welcome to the ancient world of “lex talionis”: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth! This Latin word literally means law of retribution. The purpose of the law was actually noble since it was meant to contain one’s quest for revenge within the confines of justice. The law saw to it that one got no more than what he deserved from the offended party.
“Lex Talionis” was the prevailing law of society when Jesus was born. Thus Leviticus 24:19-21 required that the injury done to a neighbor must be done to the person committing the injury. “As the injury inflicted, so must be the injury suffered” (Lev. 24:20). “Life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.” (Deut. 19:21). To the surprise of the Jews Jesus set aside this equitable scheme and introduced his law of love. It was really out of the box and very difficult to justify. Imagine the reaction of people when Jesus said, “…if someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn and offer the other” (verse 39).
Jesus tried to rationalize his new commandment with this argument: “And if you are friendly only to your friends, what is so exceptional about that? Do not even the pagans do as much?” The bottom line is perfection, and that was what he wanted his followers to aim for. He even presented his heavenly Father as benchmark of that perfection. “Be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect”. This explains why Jesus asked followers to soar beyond the troposphere of justice to the exosphere of love. Moving fast on the wings of love they attain what science calls “escape velocity” enough to detach themselves from the gravity of self-centeredness, and sufficient enough to empower them to break out into the outer space of altruism in their journey towards perfection. – Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM. Email: dan.delosangeles@gmail.com. Website: http://www.frdan.org.
Prayer for the day: God our Father, grant us the grace to live up to the demands of the law of love so that we may come close to the perfection required of us by Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
CHURCH BULLETIN
SAINT OF THE DAY: ST. POLYCARP, was converted to Christianity by St. John the Evangelist who made him bishop of Smyrna. In the year 155 during the persecution under Marcus Aurelius, soldiers were sent to arrest him. He prayed with such devotion that several of them were converted. The proconsul exhorted him to give up his faith, but he stood firm in his fidelity to Christ. He was pierced with a spear and burned to ashes at the stake.
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