By: FR. Jose “Joesum” Sumampong, Jr.
FEBRUARY 20, 2022
27 SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME ©
I Samuel 26: 2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23 / Psalm 103: 1-4, 10, 12-13 /
I Corinthians 15: 45-49 / Luke 6: 27-38
THE BIG FIGHT: COMPASSION
vs. AGGRESSION
Word: All that is new in today’s gospel is expressed in these directives: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Lk 6:27-28). For Jesus the ethics of his followers is not mere “love” – all human ethics demand that—but “love for enemies.” Christian love is a universal love which excludes no one.
“I have no enemies”, we may claim. But the forceful word of Jesus shows us that “my enemies” are those “who hate, curse or mistreat us”, those who speak evil of us, those who falsely accuse us, those who criticize us and even those towards whom we may have an aversion: those who irritate us, those who do not agree with us, those who are aggressive to us by their preference or manner of thinking, speaking, acting, dressing up, praying or voting, etc.
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Order: There is plenty of evidence that aggression possesses a strong foothold among us. Newspapers, radios and televisions run stories about murders, rapes, thieveries, and many other forms of criminality. The echo of quarrels drifts around neighborhood and from otherwise peaceful homes. Films shown in movie theaters or on TVs right inside our homes and lots of video games are virtually creating a “living room war”. Stores sell coffee mugs that advise: “Intimidate someone today.” Businessmen are yielding to the claim that “push pays off.”
One group of behavioral scientists tells us that people are born with anger and aggression built in – that is, we are born as wolves and hawks. Another group says that murderous aggression is acquired – that is, at birth we are lambs and doves but get more aggressive as we grow in years. Both groups of experts do advise everyone that, whether innate or acquired, the tendency to violent aggression must be tempered and directed to productive behavior.
“For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them” (Lk 6:32). Jesus is challenging us to be different. Jesus demands that our love must go beyond all our natural communities: our family, our circle of “significant others”, our barkada. There is a natural and spontaneous solidarity between people who resemble one another. Even the criminals may agree to stick together for the sake of protecting themselves from being caught. But Christian love is without any frontier or barrier. “Christian love truly extends to all, without distinction of race, social conditions or religion; it takes for neither gain nor gratitude” (Ad Gentes, 12).
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Realities: Three stories to help us reflect:
First. Aggressors are very much like a stork who fell into the mud. An idea occurred to the stork, “Do I not have long beak?” So he stuck his head in the mud, leaned hard, and pulled out his legs. But to what use? While his legs were out, now his beak was stuck. So he thought, “I will use my legs to free my beak.” But to what use, for now his legs were again stuck.
Second. In the days of the Revolutionary War there lived at Ephrata, Pennsylvania, a pastor by the name of Peter Miller who enjoyed the friendship of General Washington. There also dwelt in that town one Michael Wittman, an evil-minded man who did all in his power to abuse and oppose this pastor. One day Michael Wittman was involved in treason and was arrested and sentenced to death. The old pastor started out on foot and walked the whole seventy miles to Philadelphia to plead for this man’s life. He was admitted into Washington’s presence and at once begged for the life of the traitor. Washington said, “No, Peter, I cannot grant you the life of your friend.” The pastor exclaimed, “He is not my friend–he is the bitterest enemy I have.” Washington cried, “What? You’ve walked seventy miles to save the life of an enemy? That puts the matter in a different light. I will grant the pardon.” And he did. And Peter Miller took Michael Wittman from the very shadow of death back to his own home in Ephrata–no longer as an enemy, but as a friend.
Third. A certain monk was praying under a tree beside a river. As he prayed the tide was coming and the river was rising. Then he noticed a scorpion at the foot of the tree struggling for dear life as the surging waves tried to drown it. The monk stretched out his hand to pull the scorpion to safety but each time his hand came near the scorpion tried to sting him. A passerby saw what was going on and said to the monk: “What are you doing? Don’t you know that it is in the nature of a scorpion to sting?” “Yes,” replied the monk, “And it is my nature to save. Must I change my nature because the scorpion refuses to change its nature?”
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Direction: Lord Jesus Christ, you gave your life out of love for all people and you encouraged your followers to do good to others. Over the years many Christians have found this difficult and I am no exception. I try, but it is so hard to have a loving attitude toward all— and then I feel hypocritical in claiming to follow you. Help me, dear Lord, to really believe that Christian love is the greatest energy in the world. Let me see that this is not an emotion but a central attitude of one’s being— an attitude of service for others in your Name. It is the result of your grace, and prompts us to will only good things for others as images of God. Grant that I may always strive to attain this attitude and so live up to the noble vocation to which I am called. (Prayer for a Loving Attitude, People’s Prayer Book).