SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Also Read: Mass Readings for 20 February 2022
First Reading: First Samuel 26: 2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23
8 And Abisai said to David: God hath shut up thy enemy this day into thy hands: now then I will run him through with my spear even to the earth at once, and there shall be no need of a second time.
Vengeance tastes sweet in the spur of the moment. But do we stop to reflect on why and how our so-called enemy, has been placed into our hands at that particular time? It is definitely not our own doing that we find ourselves in such situations. Could God be testing us through these circumstances? We would have acted in vengeance before, vented out our hurt, or let them have it right then and there. Yet after the initial satisfaction would we have harbored true joy in our hearts, later on? Or would the bitterness just leave us detested?
Few occasions come our way when we could turn magnanimous and walk a higher ground! The challenge is whether we recognize those opportunities for greatness – greatness in the eyes of the Highest God. Then once we do, are we able to walk away like David?
Praised be God in our actions!
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 103: 1-2, 3-4, 8, 10, 12-13
10 He hath not dealt with us according to our sins: nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
Who are we to hold grudges then? Releasing ourselves of vengeance is the best form of punishment to the so-called enemy. Remember, our real enemy is not flesh and blood!
Second Reading: First Corinthians 15: 45-49
49 Therefore as we have borne the image of the earthly, let us bear also the image of the heavenly.
Through Christ’s resurrection, we have been made righteous! Therefore, though we are earthly; we have been assigned the ability to transform into the heavenly image prepared for us!
May we rise to this understanding! Amen!
Gospel: Luke 6: 27-38
27 But I say to you that hear: Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you.
These are very tough words, we may not like them! But they are the words of the Messiah and Christianity was never meant to cater to popular tastes! Digesting each verse will give us an insight into Jesus’ expectations from us! We begin with the very first verse! Do we hear his voice? Remember the sheep know his voice and they follow him! (John 10:4)
Then as we try to live out those words, we are reminded that the measure we give will be the measure we get back – a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into our laps! (38) Now, would we want kindness and mercy in our laps? We would like that for sure!
Amen!
