During Lent, may we reflect, and act on, the challenge of the Gospel

7th Sunday of Ordinary Time (C)

If one is looking for the secret to material success – to being rich, prosperous, and powerful, our Biblical readings this Sunday provide little help. On the other hand, if one desires to be Christ-like, to reflect the love God has so abundantly bestowed upon us, then these readings very clearly point the way.

Our first reading is taken from the First Book of Samuel. It records a period of the history of Ancient Israel during the Early Iron Age when the Lord ruled his Chosen People through the Prophet Samuel. Under Samuel’s leadership, the People of Israel cried out that they wanted to be like other nations – that is, they wanted an earthly king to rule over them. The Lord granted their request, and so Saul was anointed as the first King of Israel around the year 1040 BC. Our reading this Sunday presents a time when Saul became very jealous of young David (David would eventually succeed Saul as King around the year 1000 BC). Due to David’s military prowess and good reputation, he was publicly acclaimed, so much so that Saul turned against him. Eventually Saul actively plotted and attempted to kill David (see 1 Samuel 18:1 - 19:10).

One evening, while Saul was hunting for David with an army of 3,000 men, David managed to sneak into Saul’s camp as he slept. David stood over Saul, Saul’s spear close at hand, with the perfect opportunity to kill his opponent and snatch the kingship. The temptation that must have arisen in David is given voice by his servant Abishai, “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!” (1 Samuel 26:8) But David would not murder his anointed king. Instead, he took Saul’s spear and returned to his own camp. Later, David revealed to Saul and his guards all that had happened. David’s goodness provided the opportunity for reconciliation between the two men. God blessed David for his mercy to Saul, raising him up after Saul as the great King of Israel and ordaining that Jesus himself should be David’s descendent.

Our Gospel reading this Sunday sounds much the same theme. Continuing with his instructions to those who would be his disciples, Jesus commands them to “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27-8). He tells them not to resist those who would do them evil, to give to everyone who asks, and to lend money without expecting repayment, summarizing it all with the exhortation to “be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36). He asks the pointed question, “if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them” (Luke 6:32).

Jesus’ words here are certainly not welcome to those who are trying to get ahead in the world. To those who are seeking unbridled power, prestige, or financial success, Jesus’ words must sound absolutely crazy – how could one ever live in the world if held to Jesus’ standards? But that’s the point– Jesus is not giving us criteria for material success, he is not telling us how to craftily maneuver through life’s challenges. What Jesus is doing is asking his followers to be like himself, to be like God. God is merciful and forgiving and patient; Jesus is asking us to be the same. Jesus calls his followers to be like David in the first reading, confident that if we are loving and merciful, God will bless our efforts and fulfill all our needs, because, of course, our greatest need and hope it the fullness of eternal life.

Rarely does a Gospel reading so deeply challenge our faith. In our lives and in our children’s lives, do we hope more for the blessings of Jesus or of material success, do we look to be victorious over our enemies or merciful, do we reach out more to embrace the needy or to grasp what is ours? The task Jesus lays before his followers in these readings is not easy, in fact, it is Godlike. But we are assured that the effort is worth the cost, for by harkening to Jesus’ teaching here we have the opportunity to become not merely people of means but rather “children of the Most High” (Luke 6:35). Perhaps this is a worthy matter for reflection and action that can guide our upcoming Lenten journey which begins in less than two weeks.

Msgr. Fell is a Scripture scholar and director, diocesan Office for Priest Personnel.