HOMILY: Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)
Luke 6:27-38
23 February 2025
Fr. Ricky Cañet Montañez, AA
It is natural for people to get upset or angry when hurt, cheated or placed at a disadvantage. It is so instinctive that if you watch a toddler who can barely speak, swat another toddler with his hand, the automatic response of the other is to hit back. And it is when both have an experience of pain do they start crying loudly. Am I right, mothers?
The message of today’s Gospel is something difficult to accept and comprehend because it goes against what is natural for us as human beings. Jesus offers us one of His most challenging teachings: to love our enemies. He doesn’t simply ask us to love those who love us, or even those who are indifferent to us, but rather, He calls us to a higher standard, saying, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” (Luke 6:27-31)
It is a difficult concept, for sure. I have read this gospel quite a number of times and tried my best in my homilies to encourage the faithful that this is not impossible. Oftentimes, they only believe me until the mass is over and they step out of the church. A parishioner from a previous parish raised hell when a co-parishioner accidentally hit his car in the parking lot of the parish church. That started the heated argument. Was it too much to ask that both parties would be in a forgiving mood since the mass just ended? Sometimes siblings start boisterous play once they exit the church. As is expected, simple “kulitan” (playful banter; teasing) ends up in “sakitan” (causing pain; hurting). Do you think they would not want to get back at each other and retaliate? That is when the fight ensues. Jesus understands how hard this is, but He calls us to “take the higher road” — to do more than just respond with what feels natural or what others might expect.
Hence, what does it mean to “take the higher road”? How can we love those who hurt us? How can we wish well on those who curse us? How do we forgive when we are deeply wounded? It is easy to meet hatred with hatred, to strike back when we have been wronged. It is easy to hold onto resentment and treat others the way they have treated us. However, Jesus is inviting us to break out of this cycle of revenge and bitterness. Instead of reacting in anger, He calls us to respond with love, forgiveness, and kindness.
There is a girl who was very much consumed by anger after her boyfriend left her for someone else. She could not eat nor sleep because she kept stalking him on social media and devising plans to embarrass him or hurt him the way he hurt her. She was suffering while her ex-boyfriend, oblivious of what she was going through, kept posting happy pictures of his travels with his new girlfriend. Her family was concerned because she was falling into unhealthy habits. In her attempt to hurt her ex, she was only hurting herself. How ironic, right? I think this is the logic behind loving one’s enemies. It is about freeing oneself from anger and hatred and leaving justice up to the Lord. It is about accepting that pain is a part of life, and no matter how we try to escape it, it will still find us.
Loving our enemies doesn’t mean we are weak or passive. In fact, it takes great strength, will power and self-control. Remember that anger tends to cloud our judgment and causes us to do impulsive and potentially dangerous things which we may end up regretting. Often, retaliation becomes a deadly cycle. A case in point are clan wars that end up in violence and multiple senseless loss of life. Both sides find themselves at a losing end. If we choose to love, we break the chain of hate and violence. Even in the most difficult circumstances, we take a stand to reflect God’s grace and to find our peace in God’s mercy and justice. To love an enemy is a powerful statement that we will not let the actions of others control us. It is about refusing to have external forces destroy what God has made beautiful in us. Loving or hating is always a matter of choice. We can choose to always be a reflection of God’s love and mercy!
David provides a powerful example of self-restraint in the passage from the First Book of Samuel. Despite being clearly favoured by God, David refrains from exploiting this favour. Saul sought to kill David, and from a human perspective, David could have easily justified taking Saul’s life to protect himself. No one would have blamed him. Yet, David chose to spare Saul’s life. He believed that judgment belonged to God alone, who rewards or punishes each according to their righteousness and faithfulness. David declares, “The Lord will reward each man for His justice and faithfulness.” (1 Samuel 26:23)
There is a reel on Facebook by Ninong A. He said, if a person were bitten by a snake, the immediate tendency is to chase after the snake and kill it, pulverise it, and punish the creature. Oddly enough, the first aid treatment for a snake bite is to lie down and relax so the poison that entered the bloodstream will not circulate fast enough to reach the heart. He says, we do not seek vengeance for ourselves. Let others around us deal with hunting down the snake. He says, it is the same thing in some situations in life. There are many “snakes” around us in the forms of people who do us harm. We should not waste our energy on vengeance. Let us pray for them. Let us pray for their conversion. Let us also pray for ourselves, that God will take away our anger and heal us. Let us take care of ourselves first and make sure we are all right.
Jesus is not asking us to love only when it is easy or convenient. He is calling us to do something more — to rise above the norms of the world and love in a way that transforms. This love is not natural to us; it is something that comes from a God who empowers us. It is the kind of love that heals wounds, builds bridges, and changes lives. Let us pray for the grace to love our enemies, to go beyond what’s expected, and to always choose the higher road— the road of mercy, forgiveness, and true transformation.
Loving Ones’ Enemies a painting byLester Yocum
Sunday Gospel Reflections 