Thursday, the Memorial of St. John Chrysostom
(Luke 6)
When is a victim not a victim? The answer is when the victim chooses to stand up and take control of the situation. “Victim” comes from the Latin word victima meaning a creature used in a sacrifice. Sacrificial objects are usually passive and helpless. They neither resist nor do they collaborate in the sacrifice. The gospel passage today recommends that Christians not act like victims when we are victimized. No, we are to take the initiative in an extraordinary way.
Jesus strings together a series of responses to injury under the rubric: love your enemies. Christians are to do good to those who hate us, to bless those who curse us, and to pray for those who mistreat us. We also turn the other cheek when someone strikes us, offer our shirt when they take our coat, and give to others without demanding repayment. Jesus also tells us why we want to treat our enemies so benignly. By our love for all, we show ourselves to be true children of God who will provide us an eternal reward.
In the last few years a number of Catholic Christians in Rwanda have demonstrated that fulfilling Jesus’ mandate in this passage is possible. In the genocide of 1994 killers took the lives of half a million people. In 2001 an archbishop started a process of truth-telling, public confession and requests for forgiveness in the midst of a widespread study of Scripture. One man has forgiven eight people who confessed to taking part in the killing of sixty-five of his relatives!
Showing posts with label Luke 6. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Luke 6. Show all posts
Homilette for Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Wednesday, XXIII Week of Ordinary Time
(Luke 6)
In the gospel today Jesus almost sounds like Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton giving a harangue about economic justice. We might wish we could hold the mute button on him for awhile. But he is the Lord and definitely has something to say for us that will transcend the speech of other prophets which Jackson and Sharpton may legitimately be.
Jesus is addressing on one hand those who experience serious deprivations. He is talking to the poor who barely get by with what they have and to the mourning who experience loss continually. But he does not mean all the poor, all the hungry, all the weeping, and all the insulted. No, he is talking to his disciples or future disciples who suffer hardships to follow Jesus. Is there a way to insulate oneself from deprivation and still follow Jesus? Although there will be wealthy followers, even they will know sacrifice in order to follow Jesus.
Of course, Jesus does not limit his address to the have-nots but pronounces some choice words to the haves as well. Their future is bleak, he tells them, if they do not use what they have for the good of the needy. Jesus in this gospel does not condemn the rich, the sated, the joyful, and the well spoken of for being as they are but only when they selfishly horde what they have. Jesus relates the same lesson that we find in the legend of King Midas. The god Dionysius gave Midas the choice of anything he wanted. The king foolishly asked that whatever he touched be turned into gold. When the wish was granted, King Midas came to lament it because he found that he could not enjoy anything. All the food, comforts, even friends turned into the affectionless, inedible, durable metal.
(Luke 6)
In the gospel today Jesus almost sounds like Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton giving a harangue about economic justice. We might wish we could hold the mute button on him for awhile. But he is the Lord and definitely has something to say for us that will transcend the speech of other prophets which Jackson and Sharpton may legitimately be.
Jesus is addressing on one hand those who experience serious deprivations. He is talking to the poor who barely get by with what they have and to the mourning who experience loss continually. But he does not mean all the poor, all the hungry, all the weeping, and all the insulted. No, he is talking to his disciples or future disciples who suffer hardships to follow Jesus. Is there a way to insulate oneself from deprivation and still follow Jesus? Although there will be wealthy followers, even they will know sacrifice in order to follow Jesus.
Of course, Jesus does not limit his address to the have-nots but pronounces some choice words to the haves as well. Their future is bleak, he tells them, if they do not use what they have for the good of the needy. Jesus in this gospel does not condemn the rich, the sated, the joyful, and the well spoken of for being as they are but only when they selfishly horde what they have. Jesus relates the same lesson that we find in the legend of King Midas. The god Dionysius gave Midas the choice of anything he wanted. The king foolishly asked that whatever he touched be turned into gold. When the wish was granted, King Midas came to lament it because he found that he could not enjoy anything. All the food, comforts, even friends turned into the affectionless, inedible, durable metal.
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