From Fr. Jude Botelho:
Today’s first reading from Leviticus speaks of holiness. Holiness means separateness and distinctiveness from the world. The Lord says, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord, your God am holy.” Holiness is primarily the attribute of God, but by relating to God and drawing close to him, Israel too becomes holy. Holiness must flow from one’s behavior to life. If God is compassionate and loving we too must become like our God, more compassionate and loving.
You are God’s Temple
King Janaka of ancient India was greatly revered by all for his holiness. Once, while listening to a discourse from a holy guru together with some citizens, a herald announced, “The king’s palace is on fire!” Everyone rushed towards the palace since they had relatives working for the king or fields surrounding the palace. King Janaka remained unmoved. Thinking that Janaka hadn’t heard him, the herald shouted louder, “Your palace is burning!” Annoyed the king replied, “Let my palace burn! It’s more important that I become holy by listening to my guru rather than to save my palace.” Today’s reading speaks about holiness since every person is a temple of the Spirit.
Francis Gonsalves in ‘Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds’
Today’s gospel invites us to reflect on a particular aspect of the love established by Jesus: love your enemies. These words of Jesus must have sounded so strange to his listeners, that even his apostles found it hard to accept them. “I say to you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” In fact, this is the command that makes our Christian religion different from all others. No founder of religion other than Jesus ever commanded such a thing to his followers. There is a natural desire in us for revenge and retaliation but Jesus calls for an unselfish attitude which not only refuses to retaliate but also to react. The ultimate Christian calling is to be like our Heavenly Father. The Old Law regarding enemies in ancient times was the law of family retaliation. If anyone of your family was injured, you had a right to hit back. In fact, the Law of the Talion meant that you could have life for life, eye for an eye, and tooth for a tooth. But the Law of Jesus went far beyond: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.” This is the most difficult test in the Christian life and many fail it. To sincerely forgive is beyond human strength, but the Spirit within us can help us to forgive. Refusal to forgive is the greatest sin we can commit within the community, the one that blocks God’s love. The forgiveness we give others will be the source of our own forgiveness and eternal joy.
Changed from Within
Two farmers, John and James, were good friends until a dispute arose between them over a piece of land. Unable to settle the issue among themselves they went to court over it. The court decided in favour of John. James was bitter and put poison in John’s well, not a fatal dose but enough to give an obnoxious taste. John was very angry. His neighbours heard about it. Some refused to get involved. But others were supportive and declared that James should be made to pay for what he had done. John was about to go by night and poison James’ well when a stranger arrived at his house. On hearing the story, the stranger agreed that it was a pretty nasty situation, but he would not agree with retaliation. “Poison is not a thing to be played around with” he declared. “I’ve a better idea. I’ll show you in the morning.” His idea was to clean the well. He offered to help. Reluctantly John agreed. It was a messy business and took them two whole days. After they ran fresh water several times the stranger took a cup of water and declared it was clean. John also drank but insisted he could still taste the poison. To which the stranger replied, “Take it from me. The water is perfect. But you will continue to taste the poison till you forgive your neighbour. You got rid of the poison in the well, but not the poison in your mind and heart.” That evening John went over to his neighbour and made his peace with him. When he came back he tasted the water and this time it tasted good.
Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies’
From Hatred to Love
South Africa is a country blessed by God in a great many ways. But the country which should have been a haven for all the peoples of Southern Africa became instead a heaven for a privileged white minority. Many people tried in vain to change South Africa’s apartheid system. Finally, Nelson Mandela appeared on the scene. He too tried to bring about reforms. But like reformers before him, he was rejected. Worse, he was hounded by the government, and ended up spending twenty-seven years in prison. However, he not only survived prison, but came out of it with the respect of his enemies and of the entire world. Furthermore, he came out without bitterness. In fact, he came out smiling, and immediately sought reconciliation with the leaders that kept him, in prison.
Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies’
Oskar, Saint or Sinner?
Oskar Schindler was a German industrialist who personally saved over a thousand Polish Jews from the horrors of the concentration camps during the Second World War. One grateful person had this to say in appreciation: "Oskar Schindler was our father, our mother, our liberator and our only hope." On the other hand, Oskar Schindler was unfaithful to his wife and was totally immersed in the proverbial good life of wine, woman and song. He was a Catholic, but only in name. Oskar Schindler was no saint. But there was a better side to him, and that came to the fore one day when appalled by the horrors of the concentration camps he felt something had to be done, and using his personal wealth and connections, he saved more than a thousand Jews. Like Schindler, none of us is perfect. But, also like him, there is in each and every one of us a better side, on which we must steadily build, so that we grow with each passing day, with virtue and Christian holiness.
James Valladares in 'Your Words, O Lord, Are Spirit, and They Are Life'
Evil is Deceptive
Albert Speer was an important member of the Nazi hierarchy during Hitler's reign. He was Hitler's architect, and minister of Armament, Munitions and War Productions. After the defeat of Hitler and Germany, he was tried at Nuremberg for crimes against humanity and subsequently condemned to serve 20 years in prison. Albert Speer was one of the most intelligent, educated and principled persons in Germany. How he was captivated by Hitler's magnetism to accept such bizarre ideologies -the secret policies, the concentration camps, the nonsensical rhetoric of Aryan Supremacy and anti-Semitism, is beyond anyone's comprehension. During his trial at Nuremberg, he took responsibility for the horrors of the Nazi regime, although most of the time, he was not aware of the happenings around. Later in life, he sincerely regretted his association with Hitler. He could still not explain completely why he subscribed to Hitler's evil idiosyncrasies.
John Rose in 'John's Sunday Homilies'
A Better Way
One day a native American was talking to his grandson about the atrocities that happened in New York city on September 11, 2001. Suddenly the grandson asked, “Grandpa, how do you feel about that atrocity?” “I feel as if there are two wolves fighting in my heart. One wolf is angry, vengeful and violent. The other is loving, forgiving and compassionate.” he answered. “Which wolf will win the fight in your heart? The grandson asked. “The one I feed.” Jesus says to us, “Love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you.” He never said that we would have no enemies – there is no lack of realism here. But he offers us a new way of dealing with our enemies. The injunction ‘Love your enemies’ is a radical rejection of violence.
Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies’
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What Jesus says is totally antithetical to the typical attitude in America. Years ago there was a bumper sticker that became rather popular that simply said two words: "I Want." Now that tag would fit on just about every car in America. We live in the country of "I want." I want my rights; I want my happiness; I want my way; I want my money.
Rights are considered as American as apple pie. This is a country where citizens have rights. The best known part of the Constitution is the Bill of Rights. I'm all for the right kind of rights, but today rights don't so much protect the innocent as they promote the guilty. If you're going to be a real Christian you're going to have to give up some rights...
After noting that hate is just as injurious to the hater as the hated, Dr. King says,
Martin Luther King, Jr., A Testament of Hope: the Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr., page 596, quoted by Chuck Queen, Love Your Enemies
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It is obvious, is it not, that the principle involved in this story is that what we admire, adore, greatly respect, and worship, we eventually become.
John Brokhoff, Old Truths for New Times, CSS Publishing Company
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Going Beyond Duty: The Second Mile
With the fate of America in the balance, George Washington made a surprise appearance before these officers. After praising them for their service and thanking them for their sacrifice, he pulled from his pocket a copy of a speech that he wished to read. But then he fumbled with a paper and finally reached for a set of reading glasses-glasses those men had never seen him wear before. Washington made this simple statement: "I have already grown grey in the service of my country, and now I am going blind."
Historian Richard Norton Smith wrote: "Instantly rebellion melted into tears. It was a galvanizing moment, and the rebellion..." and the rebellion was put down because they had seen before them a second miler. Becoming a Christian is one thing; being a Christian is another one. Every chance you get for the glory of Jesus, for the goodness of others, and because of the grace of God, go the second mile.
James Merritt, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com
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Sound familiar? We have all experienced this sort of escalating pettiness and we readily admit that it is silly. But I would suggest to you that we can remove the names "Billy" and "Joey" and insert the words "husband" and "wife" and the story is much the same. Or we could insert the names of two rival high schools, or two rival companies, or "The Hatfields" and "The McCoys." Or Republicans and Democrats, or "pro-life" and "pro-choice," or Israel and Palestine, or America and almost any Arab nation you care to name. Conflict at any level is conflict. And if not preventable, most conflict is at least resolvable...but not until one side refuses to retaliate and instead decides to reconcile.
Steve Molin, He Hit Me First!
The guy had a box seat close to the field, and when the Red Sox were in town he would torment Boggs by shouting obscenities and insults. It's hard to imagine one fan getting under a player's skin, but this guy had the recipe.
One day as Boggs was warming up, the fan began his routine, yelling, 'Boggs, you stink' and variations on that theme. Boggs had enough. He walked directly over to the man, who was sitting in the stands, and said, "Hey fella, are you the guy who's always yelling at me?" The man said, "Yeah, it's me. What are you going to do about it?"
“He couldn't fight, either.”
One day a truck driver stopped at a restaurant for dinner and ordered a steak. Before he could eat it, in walked a motorcycle gang, with dirty leather jackets and long, unkempt hair. They took the man's steak, cut it into six pieces, and ate it. The driver said nothing. He simply paid the bill and walked out. One of the gang members said, "That man couldn't talk. He didn't say a word." Another one said, "He couldn't fight, either; he didn't lift a hand." A waiter added, "I would say that he couldn't drive either. On his way out of the parking lot, he ran over six motorcycles crushing all of them." Something in us loves that story, because we like retaliation. But in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus prescribes forgiving love as the Christian trump card.
ENEMIES
Pay attention to your enemies, for they are the first to discover your mistakes.
Antisthenes.
Rabbi David A. Nelson likes to tell the story of two brothers who went to their rabbi to settle a longstanding feud. The rabbi got the two to reconcile their differences and shake hands. As they were about to leave, he asked each one to make a wish for the other in honor of the Jewish New Year. The first brother turned to the other and said, "I wish you what you wish me." At that, the second brother threw up his hands and said, "See, Rabbi, he's starting up again!"
David A. Nelson.
LOVE OF ENEMIES
In "Context," Mary Marty retells a parable from the "Eye of the Needle" newsletter: A holy man was engaged in his morning meditation under a tree whose roots stretched out over the riverbank. During his meditation he noticed that the river was rising, and a scorpion caught in the roots was about to drown. He crawled out on the roots and reached down to free the scorpion, but every time he did so, the scorpion struck back at him. An observer came along and said to the holy man, "Don't you know that's a scorpion, and it's in the nature of a scorpion to want to sting?" To which the holy man replied, 'That may well be, but it is my nature to save, and must I change my nature because the scorpion does not change its nature?"
Joseph B. Modica.
In 1632, at the Battle of Lutzen during the 30 year's war, King Gustavus Adolphus was shot in the back while leading his cavalry in a charge against the Catholic armies of the Holy Roman Empire. Who actually killed him remains an unanswered question. However, many historical authorities insist that Gustavus must have been killed by one of his own men, if not accidentally then intentionally by a traitor.
Source Unknown.
Statistics and Stuff
Politics without principle, pleasure without conscience, wealth without work, knowledge without character, business without morality, science without humanity, worship without sacrifice.
Mohandas K. Gandhi, on things that will destroy us.
Humor
A reporter was interviewing an old man on his 100th birthday. "What are you most proud of?" he asked. "Well, " said the man, "I don't have an enemy in the world." "What a beautiful thought! How inspirational!" said the reporter. "Yep," added the centenarian, "outlived every last one of them."
Today’s first reading from Leviticus speaks of holiness. Holiness means separateness and distinctiveness from the world. The Lord says, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord, your God am holy.” Holiness is primarily the attribute of God, but by relating to God and drawing close to him, Israel too becomes holy. Holiness must flow from one’s behavior to life. If God is compassionate and loving we too must become like our God, more compassionate and loving.
You are God’s Temple
King Janaka of ancient India was greatly revered by all for his holiness. Once, while listening to a discourse from a holy guru together with some citizens, a herald announced, “The king’s palace is on fire!” Everyone rushed towards the palace since they had relatives working for the king or fields surrounding the palace. King Janaka remained unmoved. Thinking that Janaka hadn’t heard him, the herald shouted louder, “Your palace is burning!” Annoyed the king replied, “Let my palace burn! It’s more important that I become holy by listening to my guru rather than to save my palace.” Today’s reading speaks about holiness since every person is a temple of the Spirit.
Francis Gonsalves in ‘Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds’
Today’s gospel invites us to reflect on a particular aspect of the love established by Jesus: love your enemies. These words of Jesus must have sounded so strange to his listeners, that even his apostles found it hard to accept them. “I say to you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” In fact, this is the command that makes our Christian religion different from all others. No founder of religion other than Jesus ever commanded such a thing to his followers. There is a natural desire in us for revenge and retaliation but Jesus calls for an unselfish attitude which not only refuses to retaliate but also to react. The ultimate Christian calling is to be like our Heavenly Father. The Old Law regarding enemies in ancient times was the law of family retaliation. If anyone of your family was injured, you had a right to hit back. In fact, the Law of the Talion meant that you could have life for life, eye for an eye, and tooth for a tooth. But the Law of Jesus went far beyond: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.” This is the most difficult test in the Christian life and many fail it. To sincerely forgive is beyond human strength, but the Spirit within us can help us to forgive. Refusal to forgive is the greatest sin we can commit within the community, the one that blocks God’s love. The forgiveness we give others will be the source of our own forgiveness and eternal joy.
Changed from Within
Two farmers, John and James, were good friends until a dispute arose between them over a piece of land. Unable to settle the issue among themselves they went to court over it. The court decided in favour of John. James was bitter and put poison in John’s well, not a fatal dose but enough to give an obnoxious taste. John was very angry. His neighbours heard about it. Some refused to get involved. But others were supportive and declared that James should be made to pay for what he had done. John was about to go by night and poison James’ well when a stranger arrived at his house. On hearing the story, the stranger agreed that it was a pretty nasty situation, but he would not agree with retaliation. “Poison is not a thing to be played around with” he declared. “I’ve a better idea. I’ll show you in the morning.” His idea was to clean the well. He offered to help. Reluctantly John agreed. It was a messy business and took them two whole days. After they ran fresh water several times the stranger took a cup of water and declared it was clean. John also drank but insisted he could still taste the poison. To which the stranger replied, “Take it from me. The water is perfect. But you will continue to taste the poison till you forgive your neighbour. You got rid of the poison in the well, but not the poison in your mind and heart.” That evening John went over to his neighbour and made his peace with him. When he came back he tasted the water and this time it tasted good.
Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies’
From Hatred to Love
South Africa is a country blessed by God in a great many ways. But the country which should have been a haven for all the peoples of Southern Africa became instead a heaven for a privileged white minority. Many people tried in vain to change South Africa’s apartheid system. Finally, Nelson Mandela appeared on the scene. He too tried to bring about reforms. But like reformers before him, he was rejected. Worse, he was hounded by the government, and ended up spending twenty-seven years in prison. However, he not only survived prison, but came out of it with the respect of his enemies and of the entire world. Furthermore, he came out without bitterness. In fact, he came out smiling, and immediately sought reconciliation with the leaders that kept him, in prison.
Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies’
Oskar, Saint or Sinner?
Oskar Schindler was a German industrialist who personally saved over a thousand Polish Jews from the horrors of the concentration camps during the Second World War. One grateful person had this to say in appreciation: "Oskar Schindler was our father, our mother, our liberator and our only hope." On the other hand, Oskar Schindler was unfaithful to his wife and was totally immersed in the proverbial good life of wine, woman and song. He was a Catholic, but only in name. Oskar Schindler was no saint. But there was a better side to him, and that came to the fore one day when appalled by the horrors of the concentration camps he felt something had to be done, and using his personal wealth and connections, he saved more than a thousand Jews. Like Schindler, none of us is perfect. But, also like him, there is in each and every one of us a better side, on which we must steadily build, so that we grow with each passing day, with virtue and Christian holiness.
James Valladares in 'Your Words, O Lord, Are Spirit, and They Are Life'
Evil is Deceptive
Albert Speer was an important member of the Nazi hierarchy during Hitler's reign. He was Hitler's architect, and minister of Armament, Munitions and War Productions. After the defeat of Hitler and Germany, he was tried at Nuremberg for crimes against humanity and subsequently condemned to serve 20 years in prison. Albert Speer was one of the most intelligent, educated and principled persons in Germany. How he was captivated by Hitler's magnetism to accept such bizarre ideologies -the secret policies, the concentration camps, the nonsensical rhetoric of Aryan Supremacy and anti-Semitism, is beyond anyone's comprehension. During his trial at Nuremberg, he took responsibility for the horrors of the Nazi regime, although most of the time, he was not aware of the happenings around. Later in life, he sincerely regretted his association with Hitler. He could still not explain completely why he subscribed to Hitler's evil idiosyncrasies.
John Rose in 'John's Sunday Homilies'
A Better Way
One day a native American was talking to his grandson about the atrocities that happened in New York city on September 11, 2001. Suddenly the grandson asked, “Grandpa, how do you feel about that atrocity?” “I feel as if there are two wolves fighting in my heart. One wolf is angry, vengeful and violent. The other is loving, forgiving and compassionate.” he answered. “Which wolf will win the fight in your heart? The grandson asked. “The one I feed.” Jesus says to us, “Love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you.” He never said that we would have no enemies – there is no lack of realism here. But he offers us a new way of dealing with our enemies. The injunction ‘Love your enemies’ is a radical rejection of violence.
Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies’
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From Fr. Tony Kadavil's Collection:
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From Sermon Illustrations:
Mark Twain once said this about the Bible: "I have no problem with those parts of the Bible I don't understand. It's those parts of the Bible I do understand that gives me fits." The passage that we are going to study certainly fits into that category.
1) “If I could talk face to face with the pilot who dropped the bomb”: On the Veterans Day of November 1996, Phan Thi Kim Phuc, now 33, came to the black granite Vietnam Veterans Memorial as a wife and mother, to tell several thousand spectators that she forgives those who bombed her village and has put the past behind her. Kim Phuc placed a wreath at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington and delivered a short speech. When Kim Phuc was only 9 years old, her picture was taken by an Associated Press photographer and it stirred the conscience of the world. Moments after the picture was taken, Kim Phuc lost consciousness and was taken to a hospital by the photographer, Nick Ut, who later won a Pulitzer Prize for the photo. Her village had just been hit by a napalm bomb attack by the South Vietnamese air force sponsored by the USA air force. Her two cousins were killed instantly. Kim Phuc’s clothes were burned off her. In the photograph, this little girl was running, naked, in pain and terror. In front of the wall inscribed with the names of more than 58,000 U.S. war dead, Kim Phuc said that she was focused on the future. Speaking to a hushed crowd in Washington, she made the following statement: “I have suffered a lot from my physical and emotional pain. Sometimes I thought I could not live, but God saved my life and gave me Faith and Hope. If I could talk face to face with the pilot who dropped the bomb, I would tell him we cannot change history, but we should try to do things for the present and for the future to promote peace.” No retaliation! Just tough, wise love. (http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1996-11-12/news/9611120185_1_phan-thi-kim-phuc-vietnam-veterans-memorial-fund-war-victim). http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/04/vietnam-war-napalm-girl-photo-today Video= https://youtu.be/wYC7RsU3OKs. That’s the spirit of Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount given in today’s Gospel. It’s the greatest power on earth. In the face of it, the devil trembles. Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
2) “The goal is reconciliation and redemption.” Martin Luther King, Jr. would take this principle from the Sermon on the Mount and use it to revolutionize America. King used to say, “No man can pull me down so low as to make me hate him.” The real goal, said King, was not to defeat the white man, but to awaken a sense of shame within the oppressor and to challenge his false sense of superiority. “The goal is reconciliation, redemption, the creation of the beloved community.” The words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount which Martin Luther King paraphrased, are totally out of step with our present world, because our world believes in retaliation. 75 percent of Christians believe in capital punishment because they think we can stop the killing by killing the killers. That’s retaliation. Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
3) “He couldn’t fight, either.” One day a truck driver stopped at a restaurant for dinner and ordered a steak. Before he could eat it, in walked a motorcycle gang, with dirty leather jackets and long, unkempt hair. They took the man’s steak, cut it into six pieces, and ate it. The driver said nothing. He simply paid the bill and walked out. One of the gang members said, “That man couldn’t talk. He didn’t say a word.” Another one said, “He couldn’t fight, either; he didn’t lift a hand.” A waiter added, “I would say that he couldn’t drive either. On his way out of the parking lot, he ran over six motorcycles crushing all of them.” Something in us loves that story, because we like retaliation. But in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus prescribes forgiving love as the Christian trump card. Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
4) The Rev. Cleveland Duke of Akron is a part-time judo instructor. He says, “I teach you what to do after you’ve turned both cheeks.” He teaches self-defense.
5) In Bill Adler’s popular book of letters from kids, an 8-year-old boy from Nashville, Tennessee makes this contribution: “Dear Pastor, I know God wants us to love everybody, but He surely never met my sister.” Sincerely, Arnold.
6) “What does agápe love mean?” asked the teacher. “When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So, my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s agápe love.” (Rebecca- age 8).
6) Forgiving others: The pastor’s Sunday homily on today’s Gospel about was forgiving our enemies. Toward the end of the homily, he asked his congregation, “How many of you have forgiven their enemies”? About half held up their hands. He then repeated his question. As it was past lunchtime, this time about 80 percent held up their hands. He then repeated his question again. All responded, except one small elderly lady. “Mrs. Jones?” inquired the pastor, are you not willing to forgive your enemies? “I don’t have any.” she replied. smiling sweetly. “Mrs. Jones, That is very unusual. How old are you?” “Ninety-three,” she replied. “Oh Mrs. Jones, what a blessing and a lesson to us all you are. Would you please come down in front of this congregation and tell us all how a person can live ninety-three years and not have an enemy in the world?” The little sweetheart of a lady tottered down the aisle, faced the congregation, and said “I outlived the old hags.”
32- Additional anecdotes:
1) You shall not bear hatred: Time was when even villains held Bishops rather in awe, and for that reason were less ready to mistreat them than other members of the human race. This is no longer true- witness the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador, and the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II. In recent years, some American bishops have been set upon by some of our home-grown criminals. For instance, one Saturday night in 1983, 69-year-old Bishop Maurice Dingman of Des Moines came out of a convenience store where he had broken his last $20 bill to pay for gasoline. When he got into his car, one face appeared, and then a second. The two men forced themselves into the bishop’s car and demanded money. He showed them all he had: “Chicken feed.” “Co-operate or else!” they threatened. Whereupon the one in the driver’s seat, reeking of marijuana, started on a wild drive to the next town. When they passed a bank with a borrowing slot, they stopped and ordered the bishop to use his plastic card and draw out some money. The bishop replied that he didn’t own a card. This left the captives frustrated, but all the more dangerous. Bishop Dingman could have run off but thought that would just invite violence. Finally, after the pair had partied in a house of friends, they drove the bishop back to Des Moines in the early morning. All that night, Bishop Dingman admitted later on, “I never prayed so hard in my life!” A few years before this, robbers had broken into the house of Bishop John Morkowsky of Houston, Texas. When they took the small money that he had, they beat him up and blinded him in one eye. Likewise, in the early 1980’s, criminals in Cleveland murdered a Catholic black man named Amos Lyke. His brother was James P. Lyke, auxiliary bishop of Cleveland. This was another form of cruelty. Had these three bishops been vengeful, they could have tracked down their enemies and demanded a tooth for a tooth. True, they were willing to assist the police in the interests of public order. But beyond that they would not go. “I want to do something for people like this,” said Bishop Dingman. “I never felt any desire to get revenge on my assailants,” said Bishop Morkowsky. And Bishop Lyke at his brother’s funeral begged God to forgive the murderers of Amos. In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells, “love your enemies, pray for your persecutors.” This is the true Christian spirit. How consoling, then, to see our teachers of Christian love, the Pope, the Archbishop, and these three Bishops, really practicing themselves, the forgiveness they preach to others. (Father Robert F. McNamara). Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
2) “I’m not so sure.” In the movie Gandhi, the great Indian leader is walking one day with a Presbyterian missionary, Charlie Andrews. The two suddenly find their way blocked by young thugs. The Reverend Andrews takes one look at the menacing gangsters and decides to run for it. Gandhi stops him and asks, “Doesn’t the New Testament say if an enemy strikes you on the right cheek you should offer him the left?” Andrews mumbles something about Jesus speaking metaphorically. Gandhi replies, “I’m not so sure. I suspect he meant you must show courage–be willing to take a blow, several blows, to show you will not strike back nor will you be turned aside.” Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
3) “Yeah, but it’s my way.” In the 1985 movie, Witness, Harrison Ford plays a tough Philadelphia detective who uncovers corruption within his department. To protect himself and a young boy who has witnessed a murder, Ford’s character, John Book, hides out among the Pennsylvania Amish, the community from which the little boy comes. In one scene of the movie, Book and several of the Amish go into town for a day of shopping. While they are in town, the buggies driven by the Amish are involved in a traffic jam with a car. The occupants of the car emerge to confront the Amish in the buggies. With unwarranted hostility, they taunt one young Amish man. One of the men from the car, a young tough, smears ice cream in the Amish man’s face. Ignoring the protests of an older Amish man, Book goes over to beat up the ruffians who have bullied the young Amish man. The older Amish man insists to Book that, “it’s not our way.” To which Book responds, “Yeah, but it’s my way.” The scene from the movie helps us focus on the content of our passage of Scripture for this morning. The Amish, a community in the Anabaptist tradition, sees the Sermon on the Mount as part of their core Scripture. The reason the young man in the scene doesn’t fight back against the bullies is that he is turning the other cheek, as Jesus said to do. In order to avoid violence, in order to avoid anyone getting hurt, he willingly accepts humiliation. Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
4) We are angry over 9/11, but our anger doesn’t control us: In May of 2006, the whole country had to confront an enemy. His cold angry eyes stared at us from our newspapers and television sets. Zacarias Moussaoui was sentenced to life in prison. He was the only person tried in American courts for the terrorist attack on 9/11. Many people in our country, including many family members of the victims of 9/11, had hoped that the courts would sentence Moussaoui to death. Some people see a life sentence as an act of mercy. One juror kept Moussaoui from a death sentence. Technically, one of the issues was just how involved Moussaoui was in the 9/11 plot. Nevertheless, many people interpreted the jury’s decision as a declaration that we in the United States are not ruled by vengeance. We can step back from our rage at 9/11 and make careful distinctions. We are angry over 9/11, but our anger doesn’t control us. Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
5) “It’s a new life, almost like a resurrection.” Immaculee Ilibagiza was a 22-year-old university student in the 1990s when terrible violence broke out in her home country of Rwanda. Hutus killed her parents, her brothers, and hundreds of her Tutsi friends. A Hutu pastor, who risked his life to save her, hid her and six other women. They lived in a small bathroom, a wooden wardrobe covering the door. For three months, they endured hunger, fear, and the sounds of soldiers in the house unsuccessfully searching for Tutsis. In those cramped quarters, she began to pray the Rosary. Always she stumbled over the Lord’s Prayer: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” She knew that the prayer called her to forgive those who had killed her family and endangered her. She didn’t think she could do it, but she realized she was consumed by hate. She was afraid she would become like the people who had killed her family. Nevertheless, in her mind, forgiving her family’s killers was like forgiving the devil. Finally, afraid that her hate would crush her heart, she asked God to forgive those who had done her so much harm. Slowly, with God’s help, she was able to let go and forgive her family’s killers. Eventually, she even visited one of her brother’s killers in prison, taking his hand and offering forgiveness. She says that forgiveness saved her life. “It’s a new life, almost like a resurrection.” [Bob Smietana, “Woman Challenged to Forgive Massacre of Family in Rwanda,” United Methodist Reporter (152.51, April 28, 2006), p. 3A.] Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
6) Hate destroys the hater: In Martin Luther King’s sermon, “Knock at Midnight,“ King says, “My brother A.D. and I were traveling from Atlanta to Chattanooga on a dark and stormy night. For some reason, travelers were very discourteous that night. Hardly a single driver dimmed their lights. Finally, A.D. who was driving, said, ‘I have had enough’ as he powered his lights back on bright. I said, ‘Don’t do that, you are going to cause a wreck and get us killed.’ Somebody must have sense enough to dim their lights, to break the cycle of hate. If somebody doesn’t have sense enough to turn on the dim and beautiful lights of love, we are all going to plunge into the abyss.”‘ A suicide bomber blows up a crowded bus in Israel. Israel responds by destroying an entire Palestinian village. The Palestinians react with more suicide bombers. Who is going to break the cycle of hate? A Chinese Proverb puts it succinctly, “Whoever pursues revenge should dig two graves; one for his injurer, and one for himself.” Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
7) “We will pray.” Bonhoeffer, facing death said, in Cost of Discipleship, “We are approaching an age of widespread persecution. Our adversaries seek to root out the Christian Church because they cannot live side by side with us. So, what shall we do? We will pray. It will be a prayer of earnest love for those who stand around and gaze at us with eyes aflame with hatred, and who have perhaps already raised their hands to kill us.” Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
8) “With malice toward none; with charity for all:” In his second Inaugural address, March 4, 1865, just a little over a month before he would be assassinated, Abraham Lincoln uttered these immortal words: “With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan—to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.” Abraham Lincoln spoke those words at the end of a time in our nation’s history when America almost did to herself what no one else has been able to do—destroy her. Though the war was over, the battle was not. Bitterness, rancor and anger were still at a fever pitch in this country. But Lincoln knew something that Jesus will teach us today, and that is that the only salve that can cure the wound of bitterness between enemies is the salve of love. But this is more than just an ordinary love. It is a super-ordinary, supernatural love that loves the absolutely unlovable. Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
9) “Michael Whitman is no friend of mine.” Toward the end of the Revolutionary War, a turncoat traitor, named Michael Whitman, was captured. At his trial it was proven that he had given the British army invaluable assistance on numerous occasions. He was found guilty of spying and sentenced to death by hanging. Michael Whitman was from a town called Ephrata. Word got back to that town of his imprisonment and impending execution. There was a Baptist preacher who also lived in that town whose name was Peter Miller. He heard about Michael Whitman’s plight and walked 70 miles in the cold and the snow to Philadelphia to see George Washington. George Washington and Peter Miller were very close friends. Miller had done a great many favors for the army; he had given them spiritual nourishment and emotional strength during difficult times. When he came in to see George Washington he said, “General, I have a favor to ask of you.” Washington said, “What is it?” He said, “I have come to ask you to pardon Michael Whitman.” George Washington was stunned. He said, “Pastor Miller, that’s impossible. Whitman has done everything in his power to betray us, even offering to join the British and help destroy us. I cannot be lenient with traitors, and for that reason I cannot pardon your friend.” Peter Miller said, “Friend! He’s no friend of mine. He’s the bitterest enemy I’ve ever had in my life. For years he persecuted me and harassed me. He did everything he could to hurt my Church and to hinder the preaching of the Gospel. He even waited for me one time after Church and beat me almost senseless, spitting in my face, knowing full well I would not strike him back.” He said, “General, let’s get this straight—Michael Whitman is no friend of mine.” George Washington was puzzled. He said, “But you asked me to pardon him.” He said, “I have, and I ask you to do it to me as a personal favor.” He said, “Why?” He said, “Because that’s exactly what Jesus has done for you and for me.” With tears in his eyes, George Washington walked into the next room and soon returned with a paper on which was written the pardon of Michael Whitman. Peter Miller went personally with him to the stockade, saved Michael Whitman from the hangman’s noose, and personally took him back to his own home where he led him to Faith in Jesus Christ. Peter Miller was right. What he did for Michael Whitman, Jesus Christ has done for us, and on the cross, He spoke to us as we should speak to others: “With malice toward none; with charity toward all.” Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
10) “Get in or I’ll blow your head off.” Susan Apointe was getting out of her car at a grocery store when a parolee from the state prison stuck a gun in her face and said, “Get in or I’ll blow your head off.” Susan got back in the car but immediately said, “In the name of Jesus you are not going to blow my head off. Jesus loves you and I don’t hate you.” The man wanted money for his sick daughter so Susan wrote a check for $600 and went by the bank and cashed it. He also complained of unemployment so Susan suggested he apply at Sears where she worked. Downtown by now, Susan told him to take her car, she would catch the bus and with that he leaped from the car and walked away. Susan used the information to help police put him back in prison. But she said, “I pray for him every day. He has already had a brush with the word of God; he was sitting on my Bible the whole time!” Was Susan Apointe extraordinarily Christian or simply crazy? We can decide for ourselves in the light of Sermon on the Mount. Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
11) “We’ve got to unload all of this.” According to an A.P. account, in September 1994, Cindy Hartman of Conway, Arkansas, walked into her house to answer the phone and was confronted by a burglar. He ripped the phone cord out of the wall and ordered her into a closet. Hartman dropped to her knees and asked the burglar if she could pray for him. “I want you to know that God loves you and I forgive you,” she said. The burglar apologized for what he had done. Then he yelled out the door to a woman in a pickup truck: “We’ve got to unload all of this. This is a Christian home and a Christian family. We can’t do this to them.” As Hartman remained on her knees, the burglar returned furniture he had taken from her home. Then he took the bullets out of his gun, handed the gun to Hartman, and walked out the door. (PreachingToday.com) Fr. Kadavil
(http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
12) “Are you the guy who’s always yelling at me?” Former Boston Red Sox Hall-of-Fame third baseman Wade Boggs hated Yankee Stadium. Not because of the Yankees; they never gave him that much trouble but because of a fan. That’s right: one fan. The guy had a box seat close to the field, and when the Red Sox were in town, he would torment Boggs by shouting obscenities and insults. It’s hard to imagine one fan getting under a player’s skin, but this guy had the recipe. One day as Boggs was warming up, the fan began his routine, yelling, ‘Boggs, you stink,’ and variations on that theme. Boggs had enough. He walked directly over to the man, who was sitting in the stands…and said, ‘Hey fella, are you the guy who’s always yelling at me? The man said, ‘Yeah, it’s me. What are you going to do about it?’ Wade took a new baseball out of his pocket, autographed it, tossed it to the man, and went back to the field to his pre-game routine. The man never yelled at Boggs again; in fact, he became one of Wade’s biggest fans at Yankee Stadium. “Love your enemies,” Jesus advises us. It might change them, and we know it will change you. (PreachingToday.com). Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
13) Should I forgive? On February 6, 1995 our daughter was shot to death by her former boyfriend, the father of her youngest child. At that time, the child was one year old. Our daughter was the mother of four young boys that her father and I now raise. We feel blessed, but I still have days when anger is at the top of my list of emotions. The issues that our grandsons deal with are tenfold. The father of the two oldest has never consoled them and the seventeen-year-old is trying to put his life together from scattered pieces. I think he will manage but it is painful for him. The next to the oldest misses his mother so deeply and he is very good about expressing it. He is growing in awareness and self-worth and will be fine. We have just learned that the third from the oldest has a different father than the oldest two boys. This came to be a great struggle to explain but we are moving on with this too. The youngest child is so full of words that wake you up and teach you what love is and where it truly comes from. From shattered lives you can find peace, hope, promise and great spiritual growth if you learn not to forget but to forgive, and to keep things honest, and not hide, but work with all aspects of the trauma. You must forgive yourself, and know that healing takes individual time, and there is no finish line, but a path that has twists and turns that may lead you up and down. When you’re up, share what you have learned. When you’re down, learn what you can” (http://www.forgiving.org). There is no doubt that many people in our society have suffered tremendously. But we must not live our lives filled with hate. Jesus calls us to forgive our enemies. Gaze upon the Crucified and listen to his first of the seven words from the Cross: “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
14) A murderer was gassed. The warden left the death chamber and walked through the jail. A convict shouted, “Who’s the murderer now?” An ABC News Poll says that almost 80% of Americans support capital punishment. 42% of that number says that they seek revenge for deeds done by the criminals. But Jesus in today’s Gospel asserts that retaliation and revenge are not Christian. (Fr. James Gilhooley). Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
15) Forgiveness of St. Maria & Assunta Goretti: St. Maria Goretti, known affectionately to her family and friends as Marietta, was born in Italy in the year 1890 into a poor family near Nettuno, 20 miles outside of Rome. In response to Maria’s repeated refusals of his indecent overtures, on that fateful day July 5, 1902, the frustrated Alessandro was to stab Maria 14 times, causing her to suffer an agonizing death. She succumbed the next day because of her wounds. She had repeatedly warned Alessandro he was risking eternal damnation. As she lay dying, when the parish priest of Nettuno brought her Holy Viaticum and asked whether she forgave Alessandro, she replied, “Yes, I forgive him and want him to be in Paradise with me some day.” Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
After 27 years of imprisonment, Alessandro was released. He was spared 3 years of confinement due to being a model prisoner. After various wanderings as a farm laborer, he was to spend the rest of his life living in a Capuchin monastery at Macerata. There the good Capuchins called him “brother.”
In the chapel of the monastery Alessandro was able to attend daily Mass and to find peace and solitude. He was to visit Assunta Goretti, whom he had last seen 31 years before at his trial. He begged Assunta’s forgiveness. She placed her hands on his head, caressed his face and gently said, “Alessandro, Marietta forgave you, Christ has forgiven you, and why should I not also forgive? I forgive you, of course, my son! Why have I not seen you sooner? Your evil days are past, and to me, you are a long-suffering son.” (DiDonato, p. 142). “The next morning people in the village of Corinaldo witnessed what could only happen among the poor of Christ. Assunta Goretti, with head held high and tears falling, took Alessandro Serenelli by the hand as a mother takes a son, and led him to Mass. At the altar rail side by side, she and he- he who had killed her daughter- raised their open mouths to partake of the flesh and blood of Jesus.” (DiDonato, pages 142-146) From that time he was welcomed in that profoundly Christian family of the Gorettis as “Uncle Alessandro”. Alessandro would testify at length at the canonical process for the beatification of Maria Goretti- the only witness who could detail what had actually happened in a brutal murder. He died at the age of 89 after a long life of prayer and penance in expiation of his crime, always invoking the intercession of St. Maria Goretti as his “protector.” It was a remarkable scene on June 24, 1950 at the canonization of St. Maria Goretti in the open Piazza of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. “Never before had a million souls come to St. Peter’s Basilica all at one time, nor in Catholic history had there ever been present at the ceremony of canonization the mother of the Saint.” (DiDonato) (http://www.mariagoretti.org/likoudisarticle2.htm) Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
16) “That was for me.” One day, Mother Teresa was asking a baker for some bread to feed the hungry children in her orphanage. The baker was furious with her request for free bread. Not only did he turn her down, he spat at her. In response to his outrageous actions, Mother Teresa calmly reached deep into her pocket, took out her handkerchief, wiped the spit off and said “That was for me; now what about some bread for my poor children?” The baker was touched by Mother Teresa’s love and greatness, complied and thereafter provided bread for the children in the orphanage. (http://baselearning.blogspot.com/2007/07/inspirational-lesson-learned-from.html) Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
17) Cardinal Van Thuan Confuses His Guards with Christ’s love: Cardinal Francis Xavier Van Thuan spent 14 years in prison in Communist Viet Nam. They arrested and even tortured him, trying to get him to give up his Catholic Faith. But instead, he chose to live his Faith passionately, even in prison, work camps, and solitary confinement. Here is how he describes what happened. “In the beginning, the guards did not talk to me. I was terribly sad. I wanted to be kind and polite with them, but it was impossible. They avoided speaking with me. One night a thought came to me: ‘Francis, you are still very rich. You have the love of Christ in your heart; love them as Jesus has loved you.’ The next day I started to love them even more, to love Jesus in them, smiling and exchanging kind words with them. I began to tell them stories of my trips abroad, of how people live in America, in Canada, in Japan, in the Philippines… about economics, about freedom, about technology. This stimulated their curiosity and they began asking me many questions. Little by little we became friends. They wanted to learn foreign languages, French, English… And my guards became my students! [In the interest of time, you may want to include only one of the following anecdotes.] Cardinal Van Thuan’s truly Christ-like approach to his relationship with his atheist, Communist guards, led to some remarkable experiences. The Cardinal describes how one guard agreed to let him make a wooden cross for himself even though it was severely forbidden to have any religious signs at all. When the guard at first objected, the Cardinal answered, “I know, but we are friends, and I promise to keep it hidden.” So, the guard walked away and let the Cardinal make his cross. In another prison, Cardinal Van Thuan asked another guard, who had also become his friend, for some electrical wire. Here is how the conversation went: The guard, frightened, answered: “I learned at the Police Academy that when someone asks for electrical wire it means they want to kill themselves!” “Catholic priests don’t commit suicide.” “But what do you want to do with electrical wire?” “I would like to make a chain to carry my cross.” “How can you make a chain with electrical wire? It’s impossible.” “If you bring me two small pincers, I’ll show you.” “It’s too dangerous!” “But we’re friends!” Three days later the guard brought the wire and the pincers and together they made a chain for his cross – the atheist Communist police officer helping the imprisoned bishop with his vestments. That’s the power of Christ-like love, the love we are all called to live. (Taken from “Testimony of Hope”.] E- Priest Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
18) St. Pachomius Gets Inspired: St. Pachomius [pah-COMB-ee-uhs] lived in the 300s, in Egypt. He was a truly amazing saint, a real volcano of activity and holiness. In gratitude for the grace of Baptism, he retreated into the deserts of Egypt and apprenticed himself to a hermit in order to learn how best to serve God. Together they lived alarmingly austere lives – sleeping sitting up, never eating a full meal, frequently praying and working all night long. This was their strategy for mastering their sinful tendencies and putting their whole heart, mind, and strength into loving God. One day Pachomius had a vision of an angel instructing him to build a monastery on the banks of the Nile. He obeyed, and soon a trickle of followers filled the few cells, followed by more and more men who felt called to give their lives to penance and prayer. Soon he founded other monasteries, wrote a series of guidelines for monastic life, and inspired countless other Christians with his humility, patience, and miracles. By the time he died while serving the sick in an epidemic, his nine monasteries housed over 3,000 monks, and the monastic movement, which has ever since been filling the world with holiness and wisdom, was under way. But the most interesting thing about the spiritual life of St. Pachomius is its beginning. His remarkable career of holiness began with a simple act of Christian charity. Before his Baptism, Pachomius had been drafted into the imperial army. As he and the other recruits were being transported down the Nile under horrific conditions, a group of Egyptian Christians gave them food, fresh clothing, and other necessities. Pachomius never forgot this, and as soon as his military service was over, he went to the nearest Christian church in order to be baptized. A few Christians going out of their way to share the light of Christ with some pagan soldiers lit a fire of love in the heart of St. Pachomius that is still warming this cold world today. Christ-like love is about giving, not getting – that’s what will change this world. (Details taken from taken from Catholic.net’s Daily Saints) (E- Priest). Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
19) “Be Holy for I your God am holy!” Lutz Long was one of the best German athletes and a favorite of Adolf Hitler. During the long-jump trial, he broke several Olympic records. The only other person who could beat him was Jesse Owens. Hitler hated the black athlete and moved out of the pavilion when Jesse recorded his trial. Jesse was upset with the treatment of Hitler. He fouled his first trial and failed to qualify in the second trial. There was only one last chance to redeem himself. At that moment Jesse felt a tap on his shoulder. It was Lutz Long his competitor. He advised him to draw a line a few inches short of the take off. Jesse followed the advice of his opponent. He succeeded and qualified for the event. From that moment onwards a bond of friendship developed between the two athletes. Later on, Jesse had to compete with Lutz and won against his advisor. Jesse went on to win three gold medals. Hitler looked at the black athlete with anger and contempt, but Lutz held his hand and praised him for his achievement. Lutz, an ordinary athlete not only followed the law but went beyond the law. He practiced the law of love against his opponent. – All of us need a transformation! The world needs to change. Only true charity and forgiveness can bring about this change. That was what Jesus meant when he prayed, “Father forgive them for they do not know what they do.” The specialty of Christian love is not mere forgiveness but love that transforms enemies. (Elias Dias in Divine Stories for Families; quoted by Fr. Botelho). Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
20) “What you do to the least, you do to me!” Travelling during his term as Vice President, Thomas Jefferson requested a room at Baltimore’s principal hotel. The Vice President was travelling alone, without secretary or servant; it had been a long day and it showed in his clothes and appearance. The proprietor, not recognizing his distinguished guest, refused him a room. After Mr. Jefferson left, the proprietor learned that he had just turned from his establishment the Vice President of the United States. The horrified proprietor immediately sent his servants to find Mr. Jefferson and offered him whatever accommodation he wished. A servant found the Vice President at a small inn where he had taken a room for the night. Mr. Jefferson sent the servant back to the hotel’s proprietor with this message: “Tell your master I value his good intentions highly, but if he has no room for a dirty farmer, he shall have none for this Vice president.” – Jesus is in the least and shabbiest person, especially if we consider that person our enemy. (Gerard Miller in Stories for all Seasons; quoted by Fr. Botelho). Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
21) Loving ones enemies actually works! For twenty-eight years, Nelson Mandela was locked away in prison in South Africa. His children were kicked out of school and prevented from getting jobs. It would have been easy for Nelson Mandela to walk out of his prison cell, a seething cauldron of revenge. But Mandela tells how after he was put in jail, he knew he had to make a decision. As he saw it, he could either spend his time in jail hating all the people who put him there, or he could choose something else. He chose instead to respect those he came into contact with each day, and it made all the difference in the world. And because of the suffering he endured and his ability to forgive his enemies, Mandela gained a great deal of moral authority that enabled him to lead his country peacefully out of apartheid when almost everyone had anticipated a bloodbath. At his inauguration as the first democratically elected president of South Africa, one of those prison guards was Mandela’s special guest. Mandela found that loving one’s enemies actually works. (John Pichappilly in The Table of the Word; quoted by Fr. Botelho). Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
22) “Love your enemies and pray for them.” In the film “To Kill a Mockingbird”, Gregory Peck plays the part of a white lawyer defending a black man accused (wrongly, as it turns out) of rape. One day one of the white townspeople comes up to Peck and spits in his face to express his disgust at a white man defending a “nigger” who raped a white woman. Peck stands there dignified and silent and slowly wipes the spit from his cheek. He says nothing; he does nothing. But it is clear which of the two men has lost his dignity. (And, of course, it turns out that it was a white man who raped the girl.) Fr. Eugene Lobo S.J. Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
23) You are forgiven: The Caliph Hassan, successor to Mohammed, was one day at table when a slave accidentally dropped a dish of meat severely burning the Caliph. Frightened for his life, the slave fell on his knees before his Lord and repeated these words of their spiritual book, “Paradise is for those who control their anger.” “I am not angry with you,” replied the Caliph. “And for those who forgive offences,” the slave went on. “I forgive you,” added the Caliph. “But above all for those who return good for evil,” said the slave. To this the Caliph declared, “I set you at liberty and give you ten gold coins.” (J. Maurus in A Source Book of Inspiration). Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
24) Revenge beyond limit: In the winter of 326 BC, Alexander personally led a campaign against the clans of the Assakenoi of the Swat and Buner valleys. A fierce contest ensued. The Assakenoi fought bravely and offered stubborn resistance to Alexander in the strongholds of Massaga. The fort of Massaga could only be reduced after several days of bloody fighting in which Alexander himself was wounded seriously in the ankle. Alexander and his army took revenge for the wound he suffered by slaughtering the entire population of the city. Not being satisfied with that, they reduced its buildings to rubbles. Since the revenge often surpassed the offense, ancient legal systems had formulas that were applied to specific crimes, laws that prescribed punishments equal to the offenses. A common expression was: “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” We find another one of those formulas expressed in the Book of Genesis where in Chapter 9 we read: If anyone sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed… (Genesis 9:6). Jesus’ audience was familiar with that system of retribution, and they accepted it as the best means of ensuring justice. So, the words of Jesus, “I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” must have sounded strange in their ears. In contemporary history, too, we find instances, where revenge was hundreds of times greater than that of the offense. In 1940, during the Second World War, a British bombing mission had struck Berlin – ostensibly by mistake. To take revenge on this Hitler ordered London to be targeted. Thus, civilian bombing of London began, causing the death of thousands, and spreading misery to many. The history of the recent past is full of incidents of massacre, prompted by individuals or nations. Hence, the words of Jesus, “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” must sound strange in our ears, too. (Fr. Bobby Jose). Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
25) What We Grab Also Grabs Us: Once there was an eagle which hovered over a lake and suddenly swooped down and caught a two-foot long fish in its talons. Slowly, the bird rose with its ten-pound catch, but when it reached about 1,000 feet, it began to descend, until it splashed into the water. Later, both the bird and fish were found dead. Apparently, the fish was too heavy for the eagle, but it could not let go, for its talons were embedded in the flesh of the fish. The truth is that what we grab, grabs us. When we grab alcohol, drugs, or sex, it grabs us and brings us down to death. (John Brokhoff, Old Truths for New Times, CSS Publishing Company, Inc.) Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
26) Going Beyond Duty: The Second Mile: Shortly after the battles ended the American Revolution, but before the peace had been negotiated, George Washington was with his troops in Newburgh, New York. But they began to grow very restless because they hadn’t been paid. Washington had begged the Continental Congress to do what they said they would do and pay the soldiers, but they refused. Well, some of the officers began to organize a rebellion. They talked about marching on Philadelphia, which was at that time the seat of the reigning national government and overthrowing that government and letting the army rule the nation. With the fate of America in the balance, George Washington made a surprise appearance before these officers. After praising them for their service and thanking them for their sacrifice, he pulled from his pocket a copy of a speech that he wished to read. But then he fumbled with a paper and finally reached for a set of reading glasses-glasses those men had never seen him wear before. Washington made this simple statement: “I have already grown grey in the service of my country, and now I am going blind.” Historian Richard Norton Smith wrote: “Instantly rebellion melted into tears. It was a galvanizing moment, and the rebellion…” was put down because they had seen before them a second-miler. Becoming a Christian is one thing; being a Christian is another one. Every chance you get for the glory of Jesus, for the goodness of others, and because of the grace of God, go the second mile. (James Merritt, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com) Fr. Tony Kayala. Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
27) “I forgive you,” Immaculée Ilibagiza was born in a small village in Rwanda, Africa. In 1994, when she was home on spring break, the Hutu president of Rwanda was assassinated, and the country was swept by reprisals against the Tutsi’s, her tribe (source https://www.immaculee.com/pages/about and her book, Left to Tell). Armed Hutu men went from house to house, slaughtering every Tutsi they found. Immaculée fled to the local pastor’s house, and to avoid being murdered, she had to hide in a 3 x 4-foot bathroom for 91 days with seven other women. As she endured this, she also felt anger and resentment destroying her and started praying the rosary: “I said the Lord’s Prayer hundreds of times, hoping to forgive the killers who were murdering all around me. It was no use-every time I got to the part asking God to ‘forgive those who trespass against us,’ my mouth went dry. I couldn’t say the words because I didn’t truly embrace the feeling behind them. My inability to forgive caused me even greater pain than the anguish I felt in being separated from my family, and it was worse than the physical torment of being constantly hunted.” When she finally left that bathroom, she learned that all her family, with the exception of one brother studying abroad, had been murdered. A million people had been massacred. After the genocide, she was shown led to the man, now in prison, who had murdered her mother and brother. He had been one of her neighbors, and the prison staff was prepared to kill him on her behalf. When she’d been in that bathroom, she had imagined killing the Hutus who had done so much evil. Despite all she had suffered, she simply said, “I forgive you,” and walked away. Through her prayer, she had triumphed over her anger and resentment and found God. Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
28) “It was easy. I just kept my eyes fixed on the lightening rod:” It was winter and it had snowed heavily. A group of children were trying to see who could make the straightest track across a snowy field. Only one of them succeeded in making a path which was almost perfectly straight. When asked how he managed to do it, he said, “It was easy. I just kept my eyes fixed on the lightening rod on top of the barn at the end of the field – while the rest of you kept looking at your feet.” The First Reading of today from the Book of Leviticus asserts that God alone is the source of all holiness and in order to strive towards holiness, our eyes are always to be fixed upon Him. Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
29) “But trifles make perfection, perfection is no trifle.” The great sculptor, Michelangelo, was at work on one of his statues when a friend called on him and said – “I can’t see any difference in the statue since I came here a week ago. Have you not been doing any work all the week?” “Yes! I have been working the whole week along, “said the sculptor – “See, I have retouched this part, softened this feature, strengthened this muscle, and put more life into that limb.” “But those are only trifles,” said the friend. “True, “said Michelangelo, “but trifles make perfection, and perfection is no trifle.” Today’s Gospel passage concludes with Jesus saying, “Be perfect, just as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
30) Brush-back pitch: In baseball there is such a thing as a brush-back pitch. A pitcher throws a 90-mile-per-hour fastball at a batter, forcing him to back off the plate, making him less willing to stand firm in the batter’s box and wait for the right pitch. When a brush-back pitch is thrown, there is a clear expectation that the opposing pitcher will throw another one in retaliation. Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
31) Imperial revenge: In the winter of 326 BC, Alexander personally led a campaign against the clans of the Assakenoi of the Swat and Buner valleys. A fierce contest ensued. The Assakenoi fought bravely and offered stubborn resistance to Alexander in the strongholds of Massaga. The fort of Massaga could only be reduced after several days of bloody fighting in which Alexander himself was wounded seriously in the ankle. Alexander and his army took revenge for the wound he suffered by slaughtering the entire population of the city. Not being satisfied with that, they reduced its buildings to rubbles. Since the revenge often surpassed the offense, ancient legal systems had formulas that were applied to specific crimes, laws that prescribed punishments equal to the offenses. A common expression was: “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” We find another one of those formulas expressed in the Book of Genesis where in Chapter 9 we read: If anyone sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed… (Genesis 9:6). Jesus reverses this concept with his teaching on the Sermon on the mount, I say to you: “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” “Never try to get revenge…if your enemy is hungry you should give him food, and if he is thirsty, let him drink….resist evil and conquer it with good.” (Rom 12:19-21). (Fr. Bobby Jose). Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
32) Poison tree: In the poem, “Poison Tree” William Blake gives a moral lesson of great importance. He compares anger and hatred to a poison tree.
I was angry with my friend: I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe: I told it not, my wrath did grow.
And I watered it in fears, Night and morning with my tears;
And I sunned it with smiles, And with soft deceitful wiles.
And it grew both day and night, Till it bore an apple bright.
And my foe beheld it shine. And he knew that it was mine,
And into my garden stole, When the night had veiled the pole;
In the morning glad I see My foe outstretched beneath the tree. (Fr. Bobby Jose). Fr. Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
****
From Sermon Illustrations:
Mark Twain once said this about the Bible: "I have no problem with those parts of the Bible I don't understand. It's those parts of the Bible I do understand that gives me fits." The passage that we are going to study certainly fits into that category.
This passage illustrates something I bet most of you have never thought about before. One of the easiest things in the world to do is to become a Christian. It is ridiculously easy. All you have to do is confess you are a sinner, repent of your sin, believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sin and was raised from the dead, and surrender your life to Him as your Lord and Savior; and you become a Christian immediately and instantaneously. There is not an easier thing in the world than to become a Christian. But at the same time, one of the most difficult things in the world is to be a Christian, and you're going to see that illustrated this morning.
What Jesus says is totally antithetical to the typical attitude in America. Years ago there was a bumper sticker that became rather popular that simply said two words: "I Want." Now that tag would fit on just about every car in America. We live in the country of "I want." I want my rights; I want my happiness; I want my way; I want my money.
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Robert Valentine once compared Teddy Roosevelt and William Howard Taft as presidents. He said, "The difference was that when you left Teddy Roosevelt's presence you were ready to eat bricks for lunch, and when you left Taft you felt -- what's the use." (Felix Frankfurter, Felix Frankfurter Reminisces [1960], 85.)
We're hoping that when you leave church this morning, you're ready to eat bricks for lunch. But I hope you have something more wholesome.
Remember as a kid . . . you didn't want to go to bed while the adults were all gathered for something? You didn't want to miss out. You heard everyone laughing. Then you heard everyone talking in a low voice. What were they saying? What was so funny? You wanted to be in the midst of it too. You wanted to be a part of the fun and excitement, or what you perceived might be fun and exciting, even if it wasn't. In any case, you didn't want to be left out, while everyone else was "in."
The church was like that too once. Not too long ago, people wanted to be a part of the church so much they would purchase their pews a year in advance so that "their seat" would be waiting for them when they arrived, and they wouldn't miss out on any part of worship, or have to stand in the back to watch. Having your own pew meant you were part of the ones who "belonged." Others who couldn't afford a pew would gladly stand in the back or in the aisles if all the chairs were taken, or even watch from the outside if they weren't allowed in, just so they could be part of that worship in any way they could. And not too long ago, people in some denominations fiercely dreaded the status of being ostracized or shunned if it kept them from going to church, where they felt part of a community of worship. No matter what, you didn't want to miss out.
In late 2013, a new word was accepted into the Oxford English Dictionary to explain this kind of phenomenon. The word is "FOMO" - a short-hand acronym for the "fear of missing out"...
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Love Your Enemy
In a sermon written in a Georgia jail and preached just after the bus protest in Montgomery, Alabama, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said this about loving your enemies:
After noting that hate is just as injurious to the hater as the hated, Dr. King says,
"Of course this is not practical; life is a matter of getting even, of hitting back, of dog eat dog... My friends, we have followed the so-called practical way for too long a time now, and it has led inexorably to deeper confusion and chaos. Time is cluttered with the wreckage of communities which surrendered to hatred and violence. For the salvation of our nation and the salvation of mankind, we must follow another way. This does not mean that we abandon our righteous efforts. With every ounce of our energy we must continue to rid this nation of the incubus of segregation. But we shall not in the process relinquish our privilege and our obligation to love. While abhorring segregation, we shall love the segregationist. This is the only way to create the beloved community."
Martin Luther King, Jr., A Testament of Hope: the Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr., page 596, quoted by Chuck Queen, Love Your Enemies
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What Christians Are Really Made Of
This text from Matthew makes me recall the words of C.S. Lewis, "Surely what a man does when he is taken off his guard is the best evidence for what sort of man he is. If there are rats in a cellar, you are most likely to see them if you go in very suddenly. But the suddenness does not create the rats; it only prevents them from hiding. In the same way, the suddenness of the provocation does not make me ill-tempered; it only shows me what an ill-tempered man I am."
Think about the reaction that Christ calls us to have if someone strikes us on the cheek. What kind of a person would that make us? To turn the other cheek and refuse to react with similar anger or malice shows the world we are Christian. So if what we do when we are taken off guard is the best evidence of what sort of person we are, let us pray our reactions show that we are good Christians!
Adapted from C.S. Lewis
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Practice What You Admire
Once upon a time a prince was born physically deformed. He was known as the hunchback prince. His physical posture troubled him, because he knew a prince should stand tall and straight. One day he commissioned a sculptor to make a statue of him, not as he was but as he wanted to be. When the statue was completed, the prince had it placed in his private garden. Every day thereafter, he would stand before his statue and try to pull back his shoulders and stand tall. After some years, his physique matched the statue!
It is obvious, is it not, that the principle involved in this story is that what we admire, adore, greatly respect, and worship, we eventually become.
John Brokhoff, Old Truths for New Times, CSS Publishing Company
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Going Beyond Duty: The Second Mile
Shortly after the battles ended the American Revolution, but before the peace had been negotiated, George Washington was with his troops in Newburgh, New York. But they began to grow very restless because they hadn't been paid. Washington had begged the Continental Congress to do what they said they would do and pay the soldiers, but they refused.
Well, some of the officers began to organize a rebellion. They talked about marching on Philadelphia, which was at that time the seat of the reigning national government, and overthrowing that government and letting the army rule the nation.
With the fate of America in the balance, George Washington made a surprise appearance before these officers. After praising them for their service and thanking them for their sacrifice, he pulled from his pocket a copy of a speech that he wished to read. But then he fumbled with a paper and finally reached for a set of reading glasses-glasses those men had never seen him wear before. Washington made this simple statement: "I have already grown grey in the service of my country, and now I am going blind."
Historian Richard Norton Smith wrote: "Instantly rebellion melted into tears. It was a galvanizing moment, and the rebellion..." and the rebellion was put down because they had seen before them a second miler. Becoming a Christian is one thing; being a Christian is another one. Every chance you get for the glory of Jesus, for the goodness of others, and because of the grace of God, go the second mile.
James Merritt, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com
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What We Grab Also Grabs Us
Once there was an eagle which hovered over a lake and suddenly swooped down and caught a two-foot long fish in its talons. Slowly, the bird rose with its ten pound catch, but when it reached about 1,000 feet, it began to descend, until it splashed into the water. Later, both the bird and fish were found dead. Apparently the fish was too heavy for the eagle, but it could not let go, for its talons were embedded in the flesh of the fish. The truth is that what we grab, grabs us. When we grab alcohol, drugs, or sex, it grabs us and brings us down to death.
John Brokhoff, Old Truths For New Times, CSS Publishing Company, Inc.
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John Brokhoff, Old Truths For New Times, CSS Publishing Company, Inc.
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Reconciliation: Refusing to Retaliate
It's a story that is repeated on every elementary school playground, nearly every day in our country. Two fourth-graders get into it during recess; something about "he did this, so I did that" and it kind of goes south from there. When they get back to class, Billy trips Joey. After lunch, Joey breaks Billy's pencil on purpose. When nobody is looking, Billy writes on Joey's desk, and later, Joey steals Billy's folder. After school, Billy and his friends face Joey and his friends, and they call each other names. Somebody gets hurt. Somebody else gets hurt worse. And then there is no telling when or if these conflicts will ever end.
Sound familiar? We have all experienced this sort of escalating pettiness and we readily admit that it is silly. But I would suggest to you that we can remove the names "Billy" and "Joey" and insert the words "husband" and "wife" and the story is much the same. Or we could insert the names of two rival high schools, or two rival companies, or "The Hatfields" and "The McCoys." Or Republicans and Democrats, or "pro-life" and "pro-choice," or Israel and Palestine, or America and almost any Arab nation you care to name. Conflict at any level is conflict. And if not preventable, most conflict is at least resolvable...but not until one side refuses to retaliate and instead decides to reconcile.
Steve Molin, He Hit Me First!
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A Christian Conception of Justice
The nature of men and of organized society dictates the maintenance in every field of action of the highest and purest standards of justice and of right dealing.... By justice the lawyer generally means the prompt, fair, and open application of impartial rules; but we call ours a Christian civilization, and a Christian conception of justice must be much higher. It must include sympathy and helpfulness and a willingness to forego self-interest in order to promote the welfare, happiness, and contentment of others and of the community as a whole.
Woodrow Wilson
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Love Your Enemies
Former Boston Red Sox Hall-of-Fame third baseman Wade Boggs hated Yankee Stadium. Not because of the Yankees; they never gave him that much trouble but because of a fan. That's right: one fan.
The guy had a box seat close to the field, and when the Red Sox were in town he would torment Boggs by shouting obscenities and insults. It's hard to imagine one fan getting under a player's skin, but this guy had the recipe.
One day as Boggs was warming up, the fan began his routine, yelling, 'Boggs, you stink' and variations on that theme. Boggs had enough. He walked directly over to the man, who was sitting in the stands, and said, "Hey fella, are you the guy who's always yelling at me?" The man said, "Yeah, it's me. What are you going to do about it?"
Wade took a new baseball out of his pocket, autographed it, tossed it to the man, and went back to the field to continue his pre-game routine.
The man never yelled at Boggs again; in fact, he became one of Wades' biggest fans at Yankee Stadium.
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LOVE OF ENEMIES
In The Grace of Giving, Stephen Olford tells of a Baptist pastor during the American Revolution, Peter Miller, who lived in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, and enjoyed the friendship of George Washington. In Ephrata also lived Michael Wittman, an evil-minded sort who did all he could to oppose and humiliate the pastor. One day Michael Wittman was arrested for treason and sentenced to die. Peter Miller traveled seventy miles on foot to Philadelphia to plead for the life of the traitor.
"No, Peter," General Washington said. "I cannot grant you the life of your friend."
"My friend!" exclaimed the old preacher. "He's the bitterest enemy I have."
"What?" cried Washington. "You've walked seventy miles to save the life of an enemy? That puts the matter in different light. I'll grant your pardon." And he did.
Peter Miller took Michael Wittman back home to Ephrata--no longer an enemy but a friend.
Lynn Jost.
“He couldn't fight, either.”
One day a truck driver stopped at a restaurant for dinner and ordered a steak. Before he could eat it, in walked a motorcycle gang, with dirty leather jackets and long, unkempt hair. They took the man's steak, cut it into six pieces, and ate it. The driver said nothing. He simply paid the bill and walked out. One of the gang members said, "That man couldn't talk. He didn't say a word." Another one said, "He couldn't fight, either; he didn't lift a hand." A waiter added, "I would say that he couldn't drive either. On his way out of the parking lot, he ran over six motorcycles crushing all of them." Something in us loves that story, because we like retaliation. But in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus prescribes forgiving love as the Christian trump card.
ENEMIES
Pay attention to your enemies, for they are the first to discover your mistakes.
Antisthenes.
Rabbi David A. Nelson likes to tell the story of two brothers who went to their rabbi to settle a longstanding feud. The rabbi got the two to reconcile their differences and shake hands. As they were about to leave, he asked each one to make a wish for the other in honor of the Jewish New Year. The first brother turned to the other and said, "I wish you what you wish me." At that, the second brother threw up his hands and said, "See, Rabbi, he's starting up again!"
David A. Nelson.
LOVE OF ENEMIES
In "Context," Mary Marty retells a parable from the "Eye of the Needle" newsletter: A holy man was engaged in his morning meditation under a tree whose roots stretched out over the riverbank. During his meditation he noticed that the river was rising, and a scorpion caught in the roots was about to drown. He crawled out on the roots and reached down to free the scorpion, but every time he did so, the scorpion struck back at him. An observer came along and said to the holy man, "Don't you know that's a scorpion, and it's in the nature of a scorpion to want to sting?" To which the holy man replied, 'That may well be, but it is my nature to save, and must I change my nature because the scorpion does not change its nature?"
Joseph B. Modica.
In 1632, at the Battle of Lutzen during the 30 year's war, King Gustavus Adolphus was shot in the back while leading his cavalry in a charge against the Catholic armies of the Holy Roman Empire. Who actually killed him remains an unanswered question. However, many historical authorities insist that Gustavus must have been killed by one of his own men, if not accidentally then intentionally by a traitor.
Source Unknown.
Statistics and Stuff
Politics without principle, pleasure without conscience, wealth without work, knowledge without character, business without morality, science without humanity, worship without sacrifice.
Mohandas K. Gandhi, on things that will destroy us.
Humor
A reporter was interviewing an old man on his 100th birthday. "What are you most proud of?" he asked. "Well, " said the man, "I don't have an enemy in the world." "What a beautiful thought! How inspirational!" said the reporter. "Yep," added the centenarian, "outlived every last one of them."
