Hymns for Mass – Press Here

FIRST READING (Though the Lord delivered you into my grasp, I would not harm you.)

A reading from the first Book of Samuel (26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23)

In those days, Saul went down to the desert of Ziph with three thousand picked men of Israel, to search for David in the desert of Ziph. So David and Abishai went among Saul’s soldiers by night and found Saul lying asleep within the barricade, with his spear thrust into the ground at his head and Abner and his men sleeping around him.

Abishai whispered to David: “God has delivered your enemy into your grasp this day. Let me nail him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I will not need a second thrust!” But David said to Abishai, “Do not harm him, for who can lay hands on the Lord’s anointed and remain unpunished?” So David took the spear and the water jug from their place at Saul’s head, and they got away without anyone’s seeing or knowing or awakening. All remained asleep, because the Lord had put them into a deep slumber.

Going across to an opposite slope, David stood on a remote hilltop at a great distance from Abner, son of Ner, and the troops. He said: “Here is the king’s spear. Let an attendant come over to get it. The Lord will reward each man for his justice and faithfulness. Today, though the Lord delivered you into my grasp, I would not harm the Lord’s anointed.” —The Word of the Lord.

R. Thanks be to God.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (103:1-2, 3-4, 8, 10, 12-13)

R. The Lord is kind and merciful. (Ps 103:8a)

Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all my being, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. (R)

He pardons all your iniquities, heals all your ills. He redeems your life from destruction, crowns you with kindness and compassion. (R)

Merciful and gracious is the Lord, slow to anger and abounding in kindness. Not according to our sins does he deal with us, nor does he requite us according to our crimes. (R)

As far as the east is from the west, so far has he put our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. (R)

SECOND READING (Just as we have borne the image of the earthly one, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly one.)

A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians (15:45-49)

Brothers and sisters: It is written, The first man, Adam, became a living being, the last Adam a life-giving spirit. But the spiritual was not first; rather the natural and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, earthly; the second man, from heaven. As was the earthly one, so also are the earthly, and as is the heavenly one, so also are the heavenly. Just as we have borne the image of the earthly one, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly one. —The Word of the Lord.

R. Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Jn 13:34)

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

I give you a new commandment, says the Lord: love one another as I have loved you. (R)

GOSPEL (Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.)

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (6:27-38)

Jesus said to his disciples: “To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, and get back the same amount. But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

“Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give, and gift s will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.” —The Gospel of the Lord.

R. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayers

Celebrant: The prayers we offer as a worshipping community are placed humbly before our compassionate Father, who knows our needs and who understands our weaknesses. Let us pray in a spirit of loving trust.

READER: For the Church in her universal ministry of mercy and forgiveness, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: For the grace to be able to forgive our enemies, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: For the virtues of compassion and mercy to help us not pass judgment on other, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: In thanksgiving for all of our parishioners young and old during these difficult days that their faith continue to be strengthened in God’s mercy and hope, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: In remembrance of Ricardo Santos P. Navarro for whom this Mass is offered, and for all our deceased relatives and friends as well as for the intentions we carry in our hearts, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

CELEBRANT: Compassionate and merciful Father, these prayers we bring before you express our needs and our hopes. Grant them through Christ, our Lord. (all) AMEN.

Homily

1 Sam. 26: 2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23
1 Cor. 15: 45-49
Luke 6: 27-38

“Love your enemies!”

Many older Catholics remember what is called “The Golden Rule,” “DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU.” But we also realize that the world operates according to a significantly different version of that rule: “DO UNTO OTHERS BEFORE THEY CAN DO UNTO YOU!”

We were taught, “Don’t give an inch! Hit them where it hurts!” Many of us have become convinced that the only way to get ahead in life is to get there first and to grab what we can. We think that the only way to survive is to assume an offensive stance and hit first before we are hit by someone else. Unfortunately, this appears to be all too true in our modern civil society.

It is hard enough for us to follow this ancient rule when we are in charge of the situation, but how are we expected to act when we are in vulnerable circumstances? Are we required to do good to those who have perpetrated evil upon us? The answer is “YES”! An example of this is seen in our first reading from this passage in the Book of Samuel. We read that King Saul, who was threatened by David’s popularity, had gathered a vast army to track David down and kill him. But when David sneaks up on the sleeping King Saul, he could not drive the spear through the vulnerable sleeping king and thereby be delivered forever from Saul’s jealousy. Instead, acknowledging that Saul was God’s chosen king, David simply left evidence that he had been there, so that Saul might realize that David had spared his life. This is a striking example of respect and forgiveness, of doing unto others what you would have them do unto you.

The Golden Rule does not require, however, that we allow others to take advantage of us. The Gospel makes that very clear. In our Gospel today, Jesus is teaching his disciples that they must also love those who mistreat them. But we can ask, “How can we do this?” Jesus now provides us with concrete examples. First, to the one who was struck on the cheek, whether as a physical attack or as a verbal insult, is told to rise above this and show who is really in charge of the situation by “turning the other cheek.” Second, the one who is forced to give up a cloak – such as being robbed or coerced to do something against his or her will – is directed to act in the same manner as the one who is struck or insulted, to relinquish something extra such as a tunic. In both these instances, the individuals who suffer some form of abuse refuse to be victims or to retaliate. By their actions, they are saying, “I can outdo your violence toward me with my willingness to give freely much more than you sought to take from me [unlawfully].” In this way, they stand like David in the first reading. They OVERCOME EVIL WITH GOOD.

But is it really possible to forgive our enemies in a world torn apart by wars of all kinds, and by economic disparity, and the exploitation of the vulnerable? Can we do good to those who terrorize us, or who torture and kills those who we love? Can we even forgive them?

We are not expected to overlook the evils, but as St. Paul reminds us in our 2nd reading, we are called “to bear the image of the heavenly one.” So, we are called to forgive them, and not to retaliate. We are called to be merciful and not vengeful. To act in this way of the Beatitudes in St Luke’s Gospel is to find true heroism, and, as followers of Christ, we are called to it. It has been said that genuine love of real enemies is the most distinguishing characteristic of the Christian. Is it for us?

A closer look at Paul’s admonition to the Corinthians today also reminds us that the real concern for St. Paul is genuine Christian behavior. He argues that, though we were born in the image of the first man (Adam), by baptism we bear the image of the second man (Christ). In other words, while we may be tempted to live according to society’s version of the rule (“Do unto others before they can do unto you!”) we are called to live by the Gospel that challenges us to love our enemies as we love ourselves.

We are surrounded each day by too many examples of violence, hatred, and revenge to list them here; yet there are also examples of amazing forgiveness and genuine love. Some countries, after being torn apart for generations by ethnic and religious wars, have established “truth and reconciliation” courts, where people who have inflicted unspeakable atrocities on others are forgiven by some of the very ones who were their vulnerable victims. We also may have heard of bereaved individuals who have shown mercy to those who murdered their love ones. Such people – although few unfortunately -are modern replicas of the crucified Jesus who, in the throes of bitter agony, cried out, “Father, forgive them!”

Most of us will probably not be called to demonstrate such extraordinary love, but we an all show kindness to others, even those whom we do not particularly like or who do not care for us. The schoolyard bully who taunts and teases us, the work colleague who gossips behind our back, the neighbor who turns a back on us, the relative who scorns us or speaks against us. Jesus reminds us that violence and hatred will eventually be eradicated from this world ONLY IF we refuse to perpetuate. Christ has commanded us to LOVE OUR ENEMIES, and he taught us eloquently how to do this with 3 words, “Father, forgive them!”