Contrary to expectation

The texts from the Roman Catholic lectionary today invite us to contemplate our transformation through extension of our expectations about living in ministry and treatment of our enemies.

Generous to all

The reading from the second letter of Paul to the Corinthians is a description of the contrasts in the experience of the ministry.

 * [6:1–10] This paragraph is a single long sentence in the Greek, interrupted by the parenthesis of 2 Cor 5:2. The one main verb is “we appeal.” In this paragraph Paul both exercises his ministry of reconciliation (cf. 2 Cor 5:20) and describes how his ministry is exercised: the “message of reconciliation” (2 Cor 5:19) is lived existentially in his apostolic experience.1

Psalm 98 is a hymn, similar to Ps 96, extolling God for Israel’s victory.

* [Psalm 98] A hymn, similar to Ps 96, extolling God for Israel’s victory (Ps 98:1–3). All nations (Ps 98:4–6) and even inanimate nature (Ps 98:7–8) are summoned to welcome God’s coming to rule over the world (Ps 98:9).2 

The Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel from Matthew continues with Jesus teaching about retaliation.

* [5:38–42] See Lv 24:20. The Old Testament commandment was meant to moderate vengeance; the punishment should not exceed the injury done. Jesus forbids even this proportionate retaliation. Of the five examples that follow, only the first deals directly with retaliation for evil; the others speak of liberality.3 

Tamora Whitney shares the challenge of living today as the day of salvation.

There are trials and tribulations. There are hardships. It’s not easy to forsake our sinful lives. It’s not easy to be a good Christian in a sinful world. There are things that will tempt us and those who will go against us. We may not have glory or riches on earth, but we have the promise of heaven. Our reward might not be in this life, but our reward will be eternal.
And in the Gospel, Jesus says that we need to be above violence and pettiness. In forsaking our sinful lives, we need to forsake selfishness and vengeance. Rather than ‘an eye for an eye,’ we need to take the high road and forgive.  Instead of wanting to pay back those who hurt us, we should forgive and move forward. In fact, far from wanting vengeance, Jesus says we should give more than is demanded. If someone tries to take your shirt, give your coat as well.4 

Don Schwager quotes “You tear yourself apart by hating,” by an anonymous early author from the Greek church.

"We have seen how murder is born from anger and adultery from desire. In the same way, the hatred of an enemy is destroyed by the love of friendship. Suppose you have viewed a man as an enemy, yet after a while he has been swayed by your benevolence. You will then love him as a friend. I think that Christ ordered these things not so much for our enemies as for us: not because enemies are fit to be loved by others but because we are not fit to hate anyone. For hatred is the prodigy of dark places. Wherever it resides, it sullies the beauty of sound sense. Therefore not only does Christ order us to love our enemies for the sake of cherishing them but also for the sake of driving away from ourselves what is bad for us. The Mosaic law does not speak about physically hurting your enemy but about hating your enemy. But if you merely hate him, you have hurt yourself more in the spirit than you have hurt him in the flesh. Perhaps you don’t harm him at all by hating him. But you surely tear yourself apart. If then you are benevolent to an enemy, you have rather spared yourself than him. And if you do him a kindness, you benefit yourself more than him." (excerpt from INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW, HOMILY 13, The Greek Fathers)5 

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 5:38-42 looks at sayings that express our belief in natural consequences and proportional justice. No pain, no gain. You reap what you sow. The punishment should fit the crime. But that’s not merciful enough for Jesus. He tells his listeners to turn the other cheek and to offer no resistance whatsoever to an enemy.

Turning the other cheek is hard, but don’t get discouraged. Jesus knows how hard it is. He won’t condemn you if you should fall to the temptation to seek revenge or to withhold forgiveness. He’ll simply do what he has always done—turn the other cheek, forgive you, and offer you more of his grace to do better.6 

Friar Jude Winkler reminds us that we have no guarantee of tomorrow. Now is the acceptable time. He describes the efforts of Paul to heal the wounds with the Corinthians. The lex talionis was to set a merciful limit to retribution. Jesus calls us to charity beyond that. Friar Jude suggests that we understand the manifestation of a hurt in the heart of those who act in hatred.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares that the words “conscious love” ring true as a definition for our life’s purpose and the goal of all spirituality. When we’re conscious, we will always do the loving thing, the connecting thing, the intimate thing, the communion thing, the aware thing. To do the unloving thing is always to somehow be unconscious at that moment. Cynthia Bourgeault describes what this means and quotes Buddhist psychologist John Welwood (1943–2019).

Instead of looking to a relationship for shelter, we could welcome its power to wake us up in areas of life where we are asleep and where we avoid naked, direct contact with life. This approach puts us on a path. It commits us to movement and change, providing forward direction by showing us exactly where we most need to grow. Embracing relationship as a path also gives us a practice: learning to use each difficulty along the way as an opportunity to go further, to connect more deeply, not just with our partner, but with our own aliveness as well.7 

Fr Richard resonates with the texts today as he concludes that deep friendships, family, sexual intimacy, marriage, and even celibacy are not given to us to solve our problem, but actually to reveal the problem. All of these life stances show us that we still don’t know how to love. At the same time, if we are conscious and aware, they give us the daily practice and opportunity to try one more time! [4]

References

1	(n.d.). 2 Corinthians, chapter 6 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 17, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/2corinthians/6
2	(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 98 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 17, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/98:12
3	(n.d.). Matthew, chapter 5 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 17, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/5
4	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries - Creighton University. Retrieved June 17, 2019, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
[4]	Richard Rohr, God as Us: The Sacred Feminine and the Sacred Masculine, disc 2 (Center for Action and Contemplation: 2011), CD, DVD, MP3 download.
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 17, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
6	(2019, June 17). Mass Readings and Catholic Daily Meditations for June 17, 2019. Retrieved June 17, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/06/17/
7	(2019, June 17). Love in Service of Transformation - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 17, 2019, from https://cac.org/love-in-service-of-transformation-2019-06-17/