The Lord tells us in the Sermon on the Mount: "Be compassionate, as your Father is compassionate" (gospel)! David showed this compassion by sparing the life of Saul who persecuted him (first reading). — In the independent theme Paul advises us that although we descend from Adam, the first man, we now must be modeled after Christ, the second Adam, who became a life-giving Spirit.
First Reading: 1 Samuel 26:2.7-9.12-13.22-23
The first reading was chosen with the gospel in mind: We shall be merciful and even spare our enemies, yes even love them. This is what David did with Saul. The young David had once decided the war in favor of the Jews and thus had also done a favor to the king Saul when David killed the mighty Philistine Goliath in a duel (1 Sam 17:32-51). People instinctively sensed the importance of that victory when they were celebrating David's bravery, singing and dancing with tambourines with the words: "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands" (1 Sam 18:7). Certainly, Saul had fought much longer and much more than David, who came into the camp just once. But his slaying of the hero of the Philistines decided the war. Thus what he had done was in comparison to what Saul had done much more important.
But as it often goes in life, Saul, who first was thankful to David for cheering him up in his depressive moods (1 Sam 16:14-23) and now for that act of bravery, became jealous. And jealousy is hard to overcome, and actually Saul never overcame it completely. Thus Saul slowly decided to harass and kill David. But David refused to retaliate and take revenge. He showed one of the finest and most attractive features of his character: his magnanimity.
Two such instances are reported. The one in Sam 24:1-22 and the other in today's first reading 1 Sam 26:2-23. Saul tried to hunt David in the wilderness of Ziph with three thousand picked men, while David had only some four hundred faithful followers (1Sam 22:2). At night, when all soldiers of Saul were asleep David alone with Abishai went into the barricade of Saul. Abishai saw his chance to kill the persecutor, Saul. After all, the chance seemed to be providential. But David refused to take the law into his own hands. He rather looked to God for justice. For him Saul was still the King and God's anointed, although God had already rejected Saul because of disobedience (1 Sam 15:11.36) and although the Spirit of the Lord had already laid hold on David (1 Sam 16:13). David took only the spear and water jug of Saul, left the place and from the opposite hill David reminded Saul’s general Abner and thus Saul himself that he could have killed the king but refused to do it. Somebody should come and get the spear and the water jug.
David's magnanimity, which reaches NT proportions and makes David a figure of Christ in his forgiving attitude and love of enemies did not fail to make its impression on Saul. He said: “I have done wrong. Come back, my son David, I will not harm you again, because you have held my life precious today" (1 Sam 26:21). But David knew Saul too well and knew that this was a mood of the king, which would change soon. Thus David preferred not going back to Saul.
For two Sundays already the second reading was taken from 1 Cor 15, the famous chapter on the resurrection of Christ and our own resurrection. Paul shows: (1) the reality of Christ's resurrection (15:1-11); (2) the faith in the resurrection of the dead (Christians) rests on a) the fact that Christ rose from the dead; with him we are intimately connected (15:12-38). Inserted is a digression on the Second Coming of Christ and the end of the world (15:23-28); (b) the conviction that a life full of sacrifices, such as Paul leads, would otherwise be folly (15:29-34); (3) the risen body, what it looks like, the fate of those Christians who are alive at the Parousia (15:35-58).
Today's second reading is taken from that last part, describing what a transfigured body looks like. Before the resurrection we had a natural body, since we descend from the first man Adam. But after the resurrection we will have a spiritual body as Christ, the second Adam has a spiritual body since his resurrection. As a matter of fact through his resurrection Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit became completely divinized; all the limitations of his humanity were taken away, he became "God's son in power" (Rom 1:4), he became a life-giving Spirit (1 Cor 15:45).
Thus Paul, similarly as he does in Rom 5:12-21 contrasts the first and second Adam (Christ: From the first Adam came sin and death, from the second obedience and life. From the first Adam we inherited a natural body, from the second Adam (Christ) a spiritual body. We will be completely transfigured and become a life-giving Spirit in turn for those entrusted to our care. Initially we are divinized in our baptism, completely this will be true at the end of time.
It seems that Paul in this text also attacks Greek gnosis according to which the first man, described in Gen 1 was the heavenly man and then in his fall (Gen 2-3) became the empirical, fallen man. And thus we have the dualistic anthropology of Plato, according to whom the soul of the Gnostic elite consisted of divine sparks, emanating from the heavenly man. These sparks had tragically become incarnated in the physical bodies of the earthly Adam. In this view the Christian gospel becomes a means of recovering one's heavenly origin of one's authentic selfhood. The apostle makes clear, at the beginning was not this heavenly man, but the earthly man, Adam, from whom we descend. And there is no dichotomy between body and soul. In Christ we become a new man, initially already in our baptism, completely at the end of time.
Reading of the Good News: Luke 6:27-38
Today's and next Sunday's gospel make up the Sermon on the Mount according to St. Luke. The three long chapters of Matthew (Mt 5-7) Luke condensed in some thirty verses (Lk 6:20-49). Neither of the two evangelists brings the very words of Christ but gives a selection according to his own theology. Thus both added and subtracted certain things. But if we compare both, it is Luke who subtracted much. The majority of the Sermon on the Mount deals with Christ’s attitude toward the teachings of the Mosaic Law, a question, which was of importance for every Jew. And thus Jesus could only say: “I have come, not to abolish them, but to fulfill them" (Mt 5:17). And how he fulfilled them and demanded more from his hearers than the Pharisees did, he shows us in the six antitheses of Mt 5. Thus Jesus speaks about the new justice of the kingdom, i.e. the Christian perfection and comes up with the theme: "Be perfect as your Father in is perfect” (Mt 5:48). For details, see Year A, p. 138f.
Luke, who wrote for Christians coming from paganism (while Matthew wrote for Christians coming from Judaism) could not use these many sections dealing with the Mosaic Law and omitted them. Then he reshuffled the few verses left and came up with the theme: "Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate” (Lk 6: 36)! Both themes are beautiful. Here is the outline of the Sermon on the Mount according to Luke 6:20-49: A. Introduction: Members of the kingdom 6:20-26
1. Who is member? Basic qualities — beatitude 6:20-26
2. Who is not member? Woes 6:24-26.
B. Theme: Have charity! Be merciful 6:2749.
1. Love your enemies and persecutors 6:27-36
Theme V. 36: "Be merciful (compassionate as your Father is
merciful (compassionate)!”
2. Do not judge! 6:37-42
3. Works are needed for true piety 6:43-49
— illustrated by the building of a house 6:46-49.
Mercy, kindness, compassion is expressed in Scripture in Greek by two main terms: (1) the more often used eleos (mercy, clemency, compassion, pity), with the Verb eleeo (have mercy or pity on someone, show mercy to someone, do acts of mercy) and the adjective eleemon (merciful, sympathetic; (2) the other less frequently used term is oiktirmos (pity, mercy, compassion) with the Verb oiktiro (have compassion) and the Adjective oiktirmon (merciful, compassionate). This term is used in today’s gospel. The first expression is familiar to all of us from the Kyrie eleison (Lord have mercy on us) of the Mass. For all practical purposes we may treat both expressions as synonyms and disregard the fine differences.
Eleos and oiktirmos is the emotion roused by contact with an affliction, which comes undeservedly on someone else, and thus it expresses sympathy and pity. This term is rendered with hesed in Hebrew, which is rendered with "love, kindness, benevolence, goodwill, favor, benefit, mercy, piety. It can thus also mean the kindness, which we owe one another in mutual relationships; so if we hear: "I desire mercy not sacrifice" (Hos 6:6; Mt 9:13; 12:7). On God's side this eleos is undeserved, a free gift, which we render with "grace", loving-kindness, and is not restricted to mercy. Since hesed is also a quality of God in our covenant relationship with him it signifies "faithfulness", since God is always faithful, even if we should be unfaithful (2 Tim 2:13).
What compassion in our pericope means we see from the content:
(1) love your enemies, do good to those who hate you (v. 27);
(2) bless those who curse you (v. 28);
(3) pray for those who maltreat you (v. 28);
(4) turn the other cheek (v. 29);
(5) if one takes away your cloak give him also your tunic (v. 29);
(6) give to who ever asks (v. 30);
(7) if he takes away your belongings do not ask them back (v. 30);
(8) do to others what you would have them do to you (the golden rule (v. 31);
(9) if you love those who love you, if you are kind
to those who are
kind to you, if you lend when
people give back, you do nothing special (vv. 32-34);
(10) love your enemies, lend without hope of getting it back, then your reward will be great and you are sons of the Most High (v.35);
(11) in short be merciful as your Father is merciful (v. 36);
(12) do not judge, do not condemn, but forgive (v. 37) then you will not be judged, you will be forgiven (v. 37);
(13) give, then God will give you a full measure (v. 38).
Many of these ideas we saw in the parallel version of Matthew on the seventh Sunday of the year of Year A, especially on love of enemies. The idea of forgiveness occurs in another context (Mt 18: 21-35). Thus in today's homily we will concentrate on compassion without excluding the other ideas.
HOMILY
"BE COMPASSIONATE AS YOUR FATHER IS COMPASSIONATE!”
1. Sometime when Christ was in the middle of his preaching career, he delivered the Sermon on the Mount, on the hills of Galilee, overlooking the Sea of Gennesaret. The gospels are no stenographical report but contain the redaction of each evangelist as he saw and understood Christ's message and as he found it useful for his hearers (readers). Christ spoke to Jews and Matthew wrote for Jewish-Christians. Thus for both Christ's attitude toward the Mosaic Law was very important. Would he keep it, would he abolish it? Christ did not abolish it but perfected it. Where the ancients had been satisfied with not killing a person, Christ demanded not even to become angry, for deep-seated anger is tantamount to murder (Mt 5:22-26). Where the ancients were satisfied with not committing adultery Christ would even call a real lustful look adultery (Mt 6:27-30). Where the ancients had been satisfied with swearing correctly, Christ or "no", abolishing all swearing, since it proves that we do not trust one another (Mt 5:33.37). And so Matthew came up with the theme of the Sermon on the Mount: "Be you perfect, be you just, as your Father in heaven is perfect, is just" (Mt 5:48)! And so he developed this new justice in three long chapters.
Luke wrote for Christians coming from paganism who did not know the Mosaic Law and would not care for it either. Thus Luke omitted all the many passages dealing with the Law, rearranged the remaining few verses (thirty in all) and came up with the theme: “Be merciful, loving, compassionate, kind as your Father is merciful, loving, compassionate, kind" (Lk 6:36)! Both themes are beautiful and worthy to meditate on. On the version of Matthew we reflected during the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth Sunday in ordinary time of the year A. The version of the Sermon on the Mount according to Luke is presented to us today and next Sunday.
2. What mercy and compassion is we learn if we look up the main, terms which are used in Greek and in Hebrew: Eleos is the first and more often used expression in Greek, oiktirmos the second less frequently used term in Greek. The most common noun in Hebrew is hesed. There are slight differences. But for all practical purposes we could use the following synonyms: love, kindness, benevolence, goodwill, favor, benefit, mercy, grace, compassion, pity. Mercy is thus something undeserved, but the more appreciated. A gift that is graciously given and something that makes a person better, as grace does. In our relationship with God, which is covenant, God is always faithful, and thus hesed expresses also this faithfulness. Mercy feels with a person and tries to help. A compassionate person is kind and understanding.
3. These insights into compassion, which come to us from an etymological explanation of the term become even clearer if we let the Sermon on the Mount speak to us. A merciful person is first somebody who does something positive, not just a person who omits something negative, which would be much already. The golden rule is not negative, stating: "Do not do to others what you would not want to be done to yourself!" But it demands positively that we do something good to others, that we treat them the way we would like to be treated ourselves: "Do to others what you would have them do to you" (Lk.6:31)! To abstain from something bad might still be easy for many of us, especially if we hope that nobody else will treat us then shabbily. But to do to another all favors we would like to be done to us is a different story, for this field is rather large, and there is no end to favors one could do a person. And yet, that's exactly what kindness does: It does not want to be recognized. A kind person is like God who in springtime scatters the flowers all over plants and trees without asking if they all will bear fruit. God and a kind person are kind for kindness’, goodness’sake.
4. A compassionate person is a plus person. He is not satisfied in being like others, in being as good as others. He wants to do more, he wants to do extraordinary things. Thus it is not enough to love those who love us (6:32) and to do good to those who do good to us (6:33). And to lend to those from whom we can expect repayment (6:34). All this even sinners do. And we could add here what Luke brings in another context: "Whenever you give a lunch or dinner, do not invite your friends or brothers or relatives or wealthy neighbors. They might invite you in return and thus repay you. No, when you have a reception, invite beggars and the crippled, the lame and the blind. You should be pleased that they cannot repay you" (Lk 14:12-14). The point of comparison is in all cases the same: We shall do more than an average person does, if we want to be merciful and kind. We do it out of goodness, not in order to be rewarded and given a favor in return.
5. Thus our ideals are not other people, not even the saints, but God himself and Christ himself. There we will always fall short, no matter how generous and compassionate we are, Christ, God is always more striving. We could always do more. We shall be as merciful, as loving as our Father is merciful and loving (Lk 6:36). The ideal could not be higher. And on the other hand, less will not do.
6. Mercy also has to do something with misery where we pity a person, and in particular with spiritual misery, sin. We all sin, we all fall short of our ideal. How do we register this fact with others? Normally we are inclined to judge and to condemn, thinking that we are and do better. Christ tells us: "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Pardon and you shall be pardoned" (Lk 6:37)!
A kind person has always kind thoughts and interpretations. He normally first assumes the best of a person. He knows that we do not know the motives of somebody else’s acts, although we often think, we know. But it is not true. If we judge kindly we are right, and if we judge harshly we are always wrong. And yet, most of our judgments are harsh and thus wrong. We should not judge and much less condemn, otherwise God will condemn us, especially at the last judgment. If nothing keeps us away from judging and condemning people, this thought that lastly we condemn ourselves condemning others should keep us away from condemning people. And if somebody does really something wrong, we shall forgive. After all, we receive forgiveness only in the measure we forgive others. Christ tells us this very impressively in the parable of the merciless official (Mt 18:21-35) where the high official has been forgiven the debt of a salary of 60,000,00 days or roughly of 160,000 years, but is not willing to forgive his fellow servant the salary of roughly three months. Then the master gets angry and throws the high official in jail till he would payback what he owes, which is practically impossible, since the amount is too big. And then Christ draws the conclusion: "My heavenly Father will treat you in exactly the same way unless each of you forgive his brother from his heart” (Mt 18:35). Thus we should perhaps pray: “Condemn me Lord, if I condemn others!" Then it would dawn on us what we are doing if we condemn other people.
7. A merciful person is also generous in giving. He does not count what he is giving. As the saying goes: “Love does not count. Only love counts." A loving heart does not count the sacrifices it makes. And sacrifice does not cause pain. As St. Augustine puts it: "Where there is love there is no longer pain, or if there is pain it is pain that is loved." And whatever we do means only something if we do it with love, anything less would not do. If we give, God will not be outdone in generosity. God will give us "a good measure pressed down, shaken together, running over" (6:38). And God will give us with the measure with which we measure to others (6:38). God's kindness and goodness is infinite. But if we are stingy, we bind God's hands to be generous to us.
8. Kindness and compassion is kind for kindness’ sake, not in order to receive reward, as we have seen several times. And yet, repeatedly Christ speaks about our reward. We will be given if we give others. We will receive forgiveness if we forgive others. We will not be condemned if we do not condemn others. Does that not mean do ut des, i.e. I give in order to receive reward? That could be the case; but it is not what Christ wants to tell us. Lastly we do things not in order to receive reward, but in order to receive Christ and with him our eternal reward, not a reward separate from Christ.
9. The greatest and the hardest of mercy is as most people would admit to love our enemies, to do good to those who hate us, to bless those who curse us and to pray for those who maltreat us (Lk 6:27-28). The examples, which Luke uses for not taking revenge (offering the other cheek, giving someone the shirt also if he takes our coat and not demanding back what somebody took; 6:29-30) are certainly extreme cases, which illustrate the principle of not taking revenge. They are not regulations to be literally carried out, but want to recommend the spirit. They are not regulations for public life either. These sayings are illustrations of a new way of dealing with people rather than regulations for it. But if one approaches a crisis with this spirit (of rot resisting evil) one will find a way in concrete acting. "Overcome evil by doing good" (Rome 12:31) St. Paul tells us. If we do this we are as perfect and merciful as our Father is perfect and merciful (Mt 5:48; Lk 6:36).