OMELIE / Omelie EN

23 feb 2025

23/02/2025 - 7th Sunday in O.T. - Year C

23/02/2025 - 7^th Sunday in O.T. - Year C

Reading 1 1SAM 26,2.7-9.12-13.22-23 Psalm 102 Reading 2 1COR 15,45-49 Gospel LK 6,27-38

Saul's animosity towards David, coming from inexplicable, as well as irrepressible, jealousy and envy, had reached a truly evil level. In such a situation, Saul's own advisors were forced to support his aversion to the young man, not to face themselves the murderous wrath of the king.

David, who had risked his life for his king, facing the giant Goliath and various enemy armies, and who had helped with his zither to appease the spirit ravaging his heart and mind, knew that he was constantly in danger.

The page from the book of Samuel, which we read today, shows us a surprising episode. David does not hate Saul back nor harbours any resentment for his dangerous ingratitude. Although he has the opportunity to defend himself and take revenge, he does not do so. His faith prevails over his natural feelings. Faith guides him: it is a steadfast, firm faith. From it he receives confidence, so from the God in whom he places his trust.

He respects and defends the king, his enemy, because, although he is overcome by wickedness, he is a man anointed by God. He therefore does not want either to hurt or offend him; on the contrary, he does everything to help him realise that his animosity is unjustified.

This page is so good for so many of us that we should call it to mind often. It sets the scene for Jesus' teaching, and prepares us to accept it.

“Do good, bless, pray”! These are holy words, advice we can expect to come from every good person. But to whom should we do good? Who should we bless? For whom should we pray? Jesus introduces a new way of life, and this surprises us: we hear words from Him we never imagined we would hear.

Do good to those who hate us? Bless those who curse us? Pray for those who mistreat us? React to evil with good? This is the gist of it; counteracting the evil that affects us and makes us suffer with love, goodness, blessing. In essence, reacting not to what men do, but always to what God is doing: He always loves us. Will we always be able to answer this love?

If we keep our eyes focused on the evil done to us, we will never be able to. Our natural reactions go in the other direction. In order to be able to follow the Lord's instructions, we must keep God the Father's wishes always in sight. The Father loves the children who make him suffer too, as we know from the parable of the prodigal son. He who does evil things to us, does not only make us suffer, but the Father's heart first and foremost. And He would like to remove the evil from the souls of all His children.

He who does evil is succumbing to the devil, the enemy. He who curses is following the enemy, Satan, and suffers, because he is in his power. That person needs to be freed from the Devil, he does not need to be further harmed by his brothers. Moreover, the Father's suffering can be alleviated when I make mine His desire for the salvation of the one who does evil, instead of following my instinct to react by imitating his wickedness.

St. Paul helps us when he says that we are no longer merely Adam's children, earthly beings, but we take part in the life of the last Adam, who brings life, a life-giving spirit. If God is truly in us, we too give life to our brothers and sisters, who, being sinners, are always in need of receiving love, the pure love that comes from above, from God the Father, and which we too have received.

This is the merciful love that makes us transparent to God, true children of His, resembling Him precisely because we always love. We will always try to fulfil this desire of God: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful”.