Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
February 23, 2025 — Year C
Readings: 1 Sm 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23 / Ps 103 / 1 Cor 15:45-49 / Lk 6:27-38
by Rev. Nixon Negparanon, Pastor

Today’s readings present us with a powerful and challenging message about mercy, love, and the nature of our identity in Christ.  They teach us that to be truly Christian is to reflect the mercy of God in our relationships with others.  In a world often filled with division, resentment, and revenge, the Word of God calls us to a higher standard—to love our enemies, to be merciful, and to live as children of heaven, bearing the image of Christ.

In our first reading, we see a dramatic moment in the life of David.  Saul, who had been relentlessly pursuing David to kill him, is placed in a vulnerable position.  David finds him sleeping, and he has the opportunity to take his life.  Yet David refrains, saying, “Do not lay your hand on the Lord’s anointed.”  Instead of seeking revenge, David chooses mercy, acknowledging that it is God who will judge this person justly.  This passage reminds us that true strength is found not in retaliation, but in trusting in God’s mercy and responding with mercy.

St. Paul, in the second reading, contrasts Adam, the first man, with Christ, the new Adam.  He reminds us that we are not just earthly beings but are also called to bear the image of the heavenly man, Jesus Christ.  Just as Christ’s life was marked by self-giving love, so too must our lives reflect this image.  Paul’s teaching encourages us to live not according to the nature of the world but to embrace the new life we have received in Christ.

Today’s gospel continues the great sermon of Jesus from where we left off last Sunday.  After speaking about the persecution and violence that will be visited on the disciples, as was done to the prophets of old, Jesus now speaks to the disciples about how they are to respond to the hostility.  He begins, “But I say to you that listen….” (Luke 6:27) Then what follows is not a general code of conduct for all, but a standard of behavior for those who follow Jesus and listen to his teachings.  If Christianity is a superior religion, the way to show it is not by endless arguments and debates about the true religion, but by the superior moral conduct of Christians.

Jesus gives us some of his most radical teachings:  Love your enemies.  Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who mistreat you.  This is not the way the world usually operates, where retaliation and self-interest often dominate.  Jesus calls us to a higher way of life, a life of love, forgiveness, and generosity.  He tells us to be merciful just as our Father is merciful.  Mercy is at the heart of the Gospel, and as followers of Christ, we are called to imitate the boundless mercy of God.

In this passage, we also find the Golden Rule:  do to others as you would have them do to you.  This principle encapsulates the essence of Christian love: not just avoiding harm but actively seeking the good of others.  It is a call to treat every person with dignity, kindness, and respect, regardless of how they treat us.

All three readings today emphasize the Christian call to transcend the ways of the world.  David models mercy rather than revenge.  St. Paul reminds us that our true identity is in Christ, not in the fallen nature of Adam.  Jesus challenges us to love as God loves, without limits, without expecting anything in return.  This call to love and mercy connects us to last Sunday’s readings which spoke about trusting in God rather than in worldly power, and prepares us for next Sunday’s gospel, where Jesus continues to teach about living a life that is radically different from the world’s expectations.

There is a story of a certain monk who 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 the nature of the scorpion to sting?”  “Yes,” replied the monk, “And it is my nature to help.  Must I change my nature because the scorpion refuses to change his?”  Today, the gospel urges Christians to remain true to their nature—to love, even when the people around them remain adamant in their nature to hate.

The Church teaches that Christ’s command to love our enemies is rooted in God’s very nature.  It is impossible to keep the Lord’s commandments by imitating the divine model from outside.  There has to be a vital participation, coming from the depths of the heart in the holiness and the mercy and the love of our God.  This means that our ability to love and forgive others comes not from our own strength, but from God’s grace working within us.

Pope Francis, reflecting on today’s gospel, once said, “Loving our enemies is not easy.  It is not an instinctive act.  Grace makes us capable of looking at others with the eyes of Christ.”  His words remind us that to love as Jesus teaches requires openness to God’s grace and a willingness to let our hearts be transformed.

In today’s world, where conflict and division are rampant, Jesus’ words challenge us profoundly.  How often do we hold onto grudges?  How often do we refuse to forgive?  This gospel calls us to break the cycle of hatred and revenge.  We can practice this in our families by being patient with those who hurt us, in our workplaces by showing kindness even when it is not deserved, and in our communities by promoting peace rather than conflict.

As Christians, we are called to go further than the minimum or the average response.  Let us not repay bad for bad.  The word love used by our Lord in this teaching is not the same as the word for family love or love of friends or love of a spouse, but it is the love that wishes the best and only the good for another, irrespective of their actions.  When we choose mercy over vengeance, love over hatred, and generosity over selfishness, we truly reflect the image of Christ in the world.

Let us pray for the grace to live out this radical call to love, knowing that in doing so, we bear the likeness of our heavenly Father.  As we reflect on today’s readings, let us ask:  How I can love more like Christ?  How can I be an instrument of His mercy?  If there is, in our lives, a scorpion of hate that delights in stinging us, let us be like the monk and remain faithful to our commitment to love.  Let us remind ourselves that we are channels of God’s love.  Let us open ourselves more and more to God’s life-giving love.  Let us resolve to love even when we feel unloved, sidetracked, or let down.  Let us decide to forgive from our hearts.  May the Lord give us the grace to love as He loves, so that we may truly be His disciples and witnesses in the world.