Feb. 20th - 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time
(I Sam 26:2-22; I Cor 15:45-49; Lk 6:27-38)
David exhibits a remarkable human attribute in this reading: obedient loyalty. King Saul was determined to bring down David because he represented a threat to his sovereignty, yet David treated him with the utmost respect as “the Lord’s anointed.” David was gradually rising to power while Saul steadily experiences losses within his family and loses control of his kingdom. Samuel was the last of the judges and the first of the prophets; he secretly anointed Saul to be king of Israel and later secretly anointed David to take his place. Psalm 103 reminds us of God’s mercy and kindness. Paul continues to teach us about the resurrection of the dead. The Greek Corinthians wouldn’t have doubted that there was life after death. However, the resurrection of the body is distinctively a Christian belief and one with which the nature-minded Greeks would have trouble. Those who rise in Christ will be heavenly creatures. But our heavenly destiny is tied directly to our sharing of the earthly body that Christ shared with Adam. As we bear the image of Christ on earth, so will we bear the image of the risen Christ in heaven. Luke reminds us how hard it can be to love our enemies, but it can be even harder to appreciate how radical it would have sounded to early Christians of the Mediterranean world. In an honor/shame culture, to allow someone to slap you was a source of shame. To restore your honor, you were expected to fight back, so turning the other cheek was a source of even more dishonor. The social system of the ancient world operated on a kind of reciprocity agreement, lending only to those who can pay you back and repaying a good deed with a similar good deed. Jesus tells his disciples they should behave the opposite. Be merciful as your Father is merciful.