MONDAY JUNE 17, 2024
MONDAY OF THE ELEVENTH WEEK OF THE ORDINARY TIME B
1 Kings 21:1-16
Matthew 5:38-42
ESCHEWING THE SPIRIT OF REVENGE AND RETALIATION IN OUR RELATIONSHIPS.
The Christian life comes with so much self-giving, so much accommodation of others and so much love. In today’s gospel, Jesus teaches us that the Christian life abhors revenge, retaliation or vengeance. The mosaic laws of tooth for tooth and eye for eye was abrogated. There is no room to inflict injury, hurts and pains on any other person.
The spirit of love and the demands of love of neighbours cannot allow revenge, retaliation or vengeance meted to anyone. Jesus cautions us on the need to attend with love to others, even when they offend us to the point of pushing us to the wall or instigating us to retaliation. There is no room for retaliation of any kind. Love must rule supreme. The human tendencies to retaliate must be curbed and peace with love must take over.
So, in the event of one being pushed or as Jesus puts it, when one is struck in the face, the only reaction or response is to present the other cheek and never to retaliate or revenge. Same happens when one is tasked by taking another person’s clothes, Jesus commands that we give the person our cloak as well. That resistance of any kind must never be allowed.
These seem to go against the human laws of justice. But the laws of love supersedes all. And the third example Jesus gives is that of being tasked to walk one mile that we must walk two miles with our adversaries. Meaning that we must be docile to the antics of our adversaries and love to the end. We must work and labour without being hurt or angry.
Conversely, we must never be like Ahab or Jezebel who will tempt or treat people unjustly. For Jezebel engaged herself in plotting Naboth death in order to take away his vineyard for the pleasure of Ahab the King. We must never engage in such wicked act and action against anyone in life. We must treat people with love and affection and never inflict hurt, injury or discomfort to them.
This new moral code is especially for Christian. For as an author reasoned, if we continue to pluck our eye, one day there will not be humanity with eyes. The benefit of this moral code for Christian is always to exercise restrain in face of provocation and seeming injustice and always to avoid hurting people and leave vengeance for the Lord.
Heavenly Father, the human inclination to vengeance and retaliation is so strong in us that we are always prone to act without thinking. Help us to be loving, peaceful and to turn to you in these moments of hurts. Directs our hearts to love and support us with your grace never to hurt back or retaliate or visit with revenge people’s misgivings against us through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Fr Norbert Uchuno
