7th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C (Feb 23, 2025)

The sermon of Jesus in Luke chapter 6, along with the other version in Matthew chapters 5, 6 and 7, is an “instruction manual” for those who call themselves disciples of Jesus Christ. If we wish to follow Christ, then these chapters tell us how.

In Matthew’s version of the sermon, Jesus emphasizes the need to show love to the outcasts of Jewish society, namely tax collectors and Gentiles. Luke expands that with a general statement that includes “everyone” and opens up the outcasts to include all sinners.

In both Matthew and Luke, Jesus very strongly teaches, “Love your enemies.” In Luke, Jesus says it twice. In Matthew, Jesus says, “Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Luke renders this as, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

Keep in mind that Matthew wrote to Jewish Christians, and his goal was to open up their minds and hearts to the divine truth that God’s love reaches out to all people beyond their tribal community. Luke wrote to Gentiles who had no background in Jewish tradition. The Good News of Jesus Christ was also for them. This message challenged both Jews and Gentiles in Jesus’ groundbreaking teaching that flew in the face of the ancient world’s notions of reciprocity from Hammurabi’s justice: “Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.”

Jesus teaches, “Love your enemies.” And “Be merciful.”

I will never forget the horrible day someone tried to assassinate Pope John Paul II. It was May 13, 1981, and the Holy Father was in the popemobile, waving to the friendly crowds at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican. Shots rang out, people screamed, and the pope slumped down in his car, seriously wounded. The assailant was quickly captured by the Vatican guard and Roman police. 

Several weeks later, after a remarkable speedy recovery, Pope John Paul visited his assailant in a Roman jail. There was a famous photo of him sitting in the cell sitting across from the man, whose head was bowed down humbly. It was on the cover of TIME magazine and the headline caption was quite revealing. In large letters, the headline read, “Why Forgive?”

Secular media just couldn’t wrap their collective brain around St. John Paul’s gesture of forgiveness, but he was only doing what Christ teaches us in today’s Gospel: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, . . . pray for those who mistreat you.”