7th Sunday Ordinary Time February 23, 2025

Readings: 1 Samuel 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23 1 Corinthians 15:45-49   Luke 6:27-38

Love your enemy! We Christians have become so used to hearing these words that it is truly difficult to live them. We don’t want to love our enemies. We humans have spent centuries killing one another and this present century will be no different. It is almost impossible to imagine David sparing the life of Saul. He knew that Saul was out to kill him, that Saul wanted to destroy him, that Saul would do everything in his power to make life impossible. Yet, David respects the anointing of Saul as king.

We Christians say that we believe that God is present in every person. We say that the Holy Trinity dwells in each person by their being created. Yet our history is one of destruction and of making life impossible for others. So often those who are not Christians look at us and decide that Jesus cannot be God because those who say they follow Him are so awful and have caused such hatred in the earth.

All of this should not discourage us Christians. Rather, we can recognize that the Gospel and the readings today are calling us to repent, to change our lives and to learn how to live the incredible love that has been given to us. We must regain the courage to live as Christ lived and to love every other person. We must have courage and perseverance in living lives that are truly divine love present on this earth.

The Gospel today shows us a whole way of life. We must be merciful, not judging, forgiving and giving to others. That sounds so easy, but it costs us our whole life. It sounds as if we could not live very well if we really lived that way. Yet the truth is that the more we can live that way, the more truly human we become and the more divinity can shine forth through us.

Let us ask God today to help us have this courage and strength to live the divine life that Jesus has given us by His death and resurrection. May this world be transformed by the divine love given to us.

                                                                             Fr. Terry.