7TH SUNDAY, 20 FEB 2022: 1 SAM 26. 2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23; 1 COR 15. 45-49; LUKE 6. 27-38
Focus: The world of today is desperately missing mercy. It is languishing in overdose of mercilessness and grudge and retaliation. Only mercy out of love is the healing remedy!
1. “Be merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful!” Our society is in dire need of mercy. Jesus is placing before us God the Father Himself as our model par excellence for mercy and compassion. In a world where there is always a great craze for great models, and craving to imitate them, often the problem is the danger of wrong models. Consequently, there is every possibility for deviation and distortion.
2. All the more, this is a clarion call for fostering a culture of mercy and compassion. And this is very exigent and urgent for our times. We live in a culture where resentment and animosity, revenge and retaliation, aggression and violence have become so rampant and the norm of the day. How sad it is that often “Mercy is abandoned and devalued mercilessly”!
3. Insensitivity and indifference, egoism, and unconcern dominate everyday life so much so that sympathy and feeling for the other have become vanishing points. In fact, many think that sensitivity is tantamount to vulnerability; for many to have concern is to be gullible to be easily manipulated. Kindness is taken as weakness. Forgiveness is regarded as a lack of manliness. Reconciliation is mistaken as timidity.
4. Many a time People refrain from compassion because they think that it disturbs their security and peace as well. It is because Compassion for sure demands going out of one’s way for the good of the other. Compassion always demands a certain extent of giving, giving up, and sacrificing. And every giving is painful unless motivated by a higher motive. It is only a higher benevolent drive that h embalms and sweetens the bitterness of parting with what is dear and losing.
5. It is in our precise context of a rapidly increasing culture of violence and animosity, there is a desperate need for a culture of mercy and compassion. Only a culture of mercy and compassion can be a redeeming remedy for a world, infected so much. In the first place, we must humbly and profoundly realize how ignominiously we are infected by the virulent diseases of division and discrimination, self-centrism, and self-vested interests.
6. However, mercy and compassion are not mere fleeting feelings or passing sentiments. Mercy and compassion are a whole way of being, an entire mode of living. We need such a culture, a way of living that forms and grooms us in an unending mission of mercy, and compassion. Thus, it is a whole mode of being. It is being rooted in a God of mercy and compassion; it is being groomed in a consistent atmosphere of love and fidelity; it is being molded into a character of listening, patience, and empathy; it is being transformed in Christ-likeness in terms of his virtues and values.
7. It is to be fully imbued with the spirit of love. But, it is not the love in our present times, so shallow and so stooping to gratifying pleasures. Rather it is a love that is so magnanimous like that of David who spared even his enemy Saul even though he had the best chance to kill him.
9. It is a love that is magnanimous like Jesus’ that loves, blesses, forgives, and saves even the enemies who hate him, curse him and persecute him. Further, it is a love that is equitable and benevolent toward all without discrimination like that of the Father who rains and shines the sun upon all whether just or unjust, good or bad irrespectively.
10. It is indeed nurturing and fostering a new culture. That is why Jesus questions, “if you love only those who love you and do good only to those who do good to you, then what is your difference and what is your greatness in reference to the non-believers?” It is a new culture, different and radical. It is a contrast and challenging culture.
11. It is a counter-culture, a powerful stroke against indifference and unforgiveness, a noble antidote to the infections of retaliation and self-centredness. Accordingly, a life of mercy and compassion urges us to strip ourselves of our comfort-seeking and ‘play safe’ attitudes.
12. Such a contrast culture makes an about-turn from our high profile, impersonal, secure, and ‘play big’ ministries, and to commit ourselves convincingly and courageously to those ministries that make us more sensitive and vulnerable to be affected, to be wounded, to be pained by the afflicted, both by sin and suffering.
Direction: A culture of mercy and compassion summons us personally and also our communities to become the “tilling grounds” of belongingness and loyalty, oneness and fraternal bonding, tenderness, and touching concern.
(REFLECTION 2 FROM 2021, 09 SEPTEMBER)
Focus: In a world where we have many false models which are deviant and not worth- imitable, God is the model par excellence
1. As the disciples of Christ, our call is always clear to follow the teaching of Jesus, to imitate him, and to follow in his footsteps. Now, what does he teach? How does he live that is to be imitated and followed? First of all, he follows the example of the Father Himself. Thereby, he resembles Him and proposes the Father Himself as our greatest model. But in what and in which way the Father becomes the supreme model? It is Love that manifests itself in magnanimity and mercy.
2. It is a love that is magnanimous because it loves even the enemies, blesses those who curse, prays for those who abuse, and does good to those who hate and do harm. It is a love that forgives so mercifully. It does not judge or condemn but condones generously. It is a love that is equitable toward all without any discrimination. It lets rainfall and sunshine on all, be it the good or the bad.
3. Jesus does not simply speak or teach about these things. He lives them. He also summons us to follow the same. He admonishes us: "Be merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful". He also challenges us to live this way that is his way and the Father's way also. Because this is the only way that we make a difference, a contrast to others. That is why he poses the question, "If you love only those who love you, and if you do good to only those who are good to you, then what difference, what greatness is there apart from the non-believers?"
Direction: The only way to show that we are followers of Christ is to follow his way, especially the way of love and mercy
( REFLECTION 3 FROM PARALLEL MATTHEW 5. 43-48, 15th June 2021)
Focus: The outstanding difference between God and man is the depth and extent of God’s mercy which forgives, loves, and helps even the greatest enemy
We are living in a world of three dominant trends, namely, comparison, competition, and imitation. These prevail even from very childhood itself. It can be with regard to anything, be it a simple dress, education, opportunities, skill and talent, intelligence and competence, social status, earning money, power, position, popularity, etc. And everyone tries for excellence and perfection. But this is mostly to outsmart and out-beat others. Thus, unfortunately, these tendencies to compare, compete, and imitate are mostly with regard to worldly things and self-interests. Accordingly, pursuit for perfection often degenerates into selfishness, jealousy, greed, deception, and corruption.
It is in such a context, Jesus is proposing today the best and perfect model to compare with, compete with, and imitate. It is God the Father Himself. “Be merciful AS your heavenly Father is merciful”. “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect”. God has a contrasting and disconcerting style of functioning. He loves and forgives even the most destructive enemy. He is benevolent and equitable to “let His rain and sunshine upon all, both the good and the bad”. Therefore, our model is God Himself in His compassion, mercy, and perfection. We are thereby invited to put on God’s own mindset. That is, to cultivate a selfless love even to embrace the enemy, to bless them, to pray for them, to be courteous to all and to help all, to show equity toward all without any discrimination.
Direction: It is good to be just in following and demanding what is lawful, rightful, and reasonable. But it is better to be loving in being merciful and compassionate. A “dry justice” condemns, while a “fertile charity” condones
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