First reading: 1 Sam. 26:2,7–9,12–13,22–23

In those days, Saul went down to the desert of Ziph with three thousand picked men of Israel, to search for David in the desert of Ziph. So David and Abishai went among Saul’s soldiers by night and found Saul lying asleep within the barricade, with his spear thrust into the ground at his head and Abner and his men sleeping around him.

Abishai whispered to David: “God has delivered your enemy into your grasp this day. Let me nail him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I will not need a second thrust!” But David said to Abishai, “Do not harm him, for who can lay hands on the LORD’s anointed and remain unpunished?” So David took the spear and the water jug from their place at Saul’s head, and they got away without anyone’s seeing or knowing or awakening. All remained asleep, because the LORD had put them into a deep slumber.

Going across to an opposite slope, David stood on a remote hilltop at a great distance from Abner, son of Ner, and the troops. He said: “Here is the king’s spear. Let an attendant come over to get it. The LORD will reward each man for his justice and faithfulness. Today, though the LORD delivered you into my grasp, I would not harm the LORD’s anointed.”

Second reading: 1 Cor. 15:45–49

Brothers and sisters: It is written, The first man, Adam, became a living being, the last Adam a life-giving spirit. But the spiritual was not first; rather the natural and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, earthly; the second man, from heaven. As was the earthly one, so also are the earthly, and as is the heavenly one, so also are the heavenly. Just as we have borne the image of the earthly one, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly one.

Gospel: Lk. 6:27–38

Jesus said to his disciples: “To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, and get back the same amount. But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

“Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give, and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”

In other words

by Fr. Edwin Fernandez, SVD (Divine Word College of Urdaneta, Pangasinan)

In a course on spirituality which I attended more than ten years ago, some SVD confreres and religious sisters from Africa shared the horrifying realities of tribal wars in their countries. According to them, even priests and religious sisters who belong to different tribes would kill each other when their tribes are at war. They have a saying which goes: “Blood is thicker than holy water.”

In our Gospel reading today, Jesus presents a message that will likely encounter a fierce resistance from the human heart. Loving one’s enemies, doing good to those who hate you, blessing those who curse you, praying for those who mistreat you, lending without expecting nothing in return—are options which do not seem to reflect our natural human choices. Even with our Christian upbringing and striving to grow in faith, many of us find it hard to put into practice the words of Jesus. Is Christ asking us to do the impossible? Would it not be better to simply follow our human tendencies?

Jesus came to our world with a clear mission: to establish the Reign of God in every human heart and in the whole world. When he sent his disciples in pairs to towns and villages, he asked them to offer peace and proclaim with signs that the Kingdom of God is at hand. Jesus’ way of establishing genuine peace among people is love that extends to all, including one’s enemies.

It is important to realize that Jesus has not only given us his teachings. He also generously bestows on us the grace that empowers us to live what he has taught. His Spirit whom we have received in baptism enlightens, guides and strengthens us to put into practice even his most challenging message in the most difficult situations. With God, nothing is impossible. Our ability to love as Jesus loved us depends on the depth of our rootedness in God himself.

David, in our First Reading, gives us a great example of this rootedness in God and love toward enemies. He loved God so much that he would not want to act against his will. Though he had a perfect chance to destroy his enemy, David chose to save the life of King Saul who was God’s anointed. What Jesus teaches us is possible if only we listen to him and let him change us from within.

Being followers of Christ makes us go beyond ourselves and our cultures with their flaws and imperfections. We act and live not as mere citizens of the earth, but, more importantly, as citizens of heaven (Second Reading). By becoming man and teaching us his way of love, Jesus makes our human nature share in his own divinity. He wants us to become like him and to become one in him.