You have heard it said … but…
A reflection for Sunday 19th of February.
I began writing this on Tuesday 24th of January. The news was not good that morning. It was especially grim for the people of Los Angeles in general and the people of Monterey Park in particular.
A man allegedly shot 11 people in a dance club. He then went to another ballroom where one of the patrons wrestled the gun away from him and called the police. The assailant was later found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, dead.
No winners here. Not the gunman, the victims or the victims’ families. It was all very gruesome and awash with blood and tears.
Today’s gospel also seems very difficult to swallow and it would seem ludicrous to those who were close to the events in Los Angeles.
You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also;
‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven;
Is Jesus condoning the events in Los Angeles? Is he contradicting the Old Testament? You know the bit …You shall do no murder and … an eye for an eye and so on…No! The Master's teachings do not contradict the law. Jesus announces he has not come to abolish the law but to fulfil it (Matt. 5:17) which means, to bring to completion, to accomplish the law with His very life and death. So Jesus isn’t so much telling the disciples that what they learned in the synagogue is incorrect, but rather that it was incomplete.
But these sayings of Jesus do seem absurd. Love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you, and offer the other cheek to get slapped as well.
What are we to make of this? It screams against every fibre of our hearts and souls.
Some starting points.
We are right to deplore the murder of others and we should call out this action as wrong. It does not matter if it takes the high public profile, very visible and over-reported story on our screens, or whether it is the unhidden scourge of domestic violence.
We are all made in the image of God. A life is - a life is - a life and it is infinitely precious in God's eyes.
This is not the first time someone has taken another life. The ickiness had begun as far back as Cain and Able But our Lord did something quite bizarre, startling and loving from the cross.
“Father Forgive”.
There was an echo of this with the people in Coventry when their cathedral was bombed in the second world war. A rough charred cross was plucked from the ruins and imprinted on it were the same two words “Father Forgive”. It became a focal point for worshippers in their new cathedral.
And remember the martyrdom of St. Stephen.
While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he said this, he fell asleep.
So layered over the top of these incredulous and sombre actions, is the call to love and forgiveness. This may take a long time and may never be complete on this side of the grave, but it is what we strive for.
For as long as someone is always loathed, they must always linger as an object of hate and the thought of them can eat away at us like cancer. However, when we pray for them, no matter how grudgingly or reluctantly, we open ourselves to the possibility that one day we might begin to see them the way God sees them.
God’s love and forgiveness are limitless. That’s what’s so great about Him and that’s what makes Him God. Ultimately… in eternity…the judgement of others is simply not our call. We should be busy enough just doing the hard yards to get ourselves right with God.
Some good things can come out of tragedy. I have no doubt that there would have been countless messages of love, support and encouragement that went out to the families of those who lost loved ones. And think of the actions and heroism of the man who wrestled the gun away from the assailant. These things do not erase the pain. It does not bring back their loved ones, but it does layer over the top of their grief, the reassurance that there is another side to our humanity. We are better than the atrocities that are splashed about on our screens with recklessness and unthinking abandon for those who might be suffering. There is a far more noble and dignified component to being human. Great love is often expressed, meets and can conquer great evil and ultimately love will always win.
You have heard it said… but … I say this to you…