First Reading: 1 Samuel 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23

Gospel: 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 gifts 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.”

When I first read over these readings in preparation for this homily, what first came to mind was the Church’s distinction between imperfect contrition and perfect contrition. Imperfect contrition, of course, is sorrow for our sins because we fear the judgment of God, the horrors of hell. Perfect contrition is sorrow for our sins because we love God, and we desire never to offend the God we love. Contrition is necessary for the forgiveness of sins, and both types of contrition are sufficient for the forgiveness of sins.

In the first reading, David refuses to harm Saul. But his motivation is not his love for Saul, or his love for God, or his desire to obey the fifth commandment: Thou shalt not kill. No, his motivation is his fear of God’s punishment if he should harm the Lord’s anointed one. Now, let’s be clear: avoiding sin because we fear the just punishment of God is a perfectly legitimate motivation for avoiding sin and doing good.

But Jesus gives us a higher ethic. He calls us to do right by others out of love of God and love of neighbor. “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.” He turns our natural inclinations upside down: “Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” He tells us to give without expecting return, to turn the other cheek if someone strikes us, to give to the thief who takes our coat our tunic, as well. This is straight up bizarre. Who could live this way? Well, Jesus did. He gave His very life for those who hated Him. He died for the Pharisees as sure as He died for His disciples. He died for those who betrayed Him. He died for Judas as sure as He died for the Blessed Mother. Jesus did not distinguish among those for whom He gave the ultimate sacrifice. He died for all. Some will reject Him; some will embrace and follow Him. But He died for all of them.

What is a coat, or money, or even a slap on the face compared to the kingdom of God? Jesus says we can manifest our love for God and our neighbor by making these sacrifices and so attain the kingdom. Would we lose the kingdom for the sake of keeping our possessions, our money, or what we perceive to be our dignity in the eyes of others? When you think of it that way, it’s a foolish bargain!

Jesus commands us not to judge others. What does He mean by that? He means not to imagine that you know where another stands before God. When we curse another, we are asking God to reject them or are implying that God already has rejected them. That is not for us to do.

Of course, we must judge the actions of others as right or wrong. If a man hurts his children, we must condemn his actions. If a woman robs a bank, of course we must condemn her actions. But it is never for us to condemn a person to hell, to curse another to hell, or to pretend we know another’s conscience and where another stands before God.

“Forgive and you will be forgiven.” That’s what it says in the Lord’s Prayer we offer every Sunday – “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” How do we forgive others? Do we? Or do we hold a grudge against them, constantly reminding them of their sins against us, or rejecting them because of their sins? Just so, God will not forgive us, because God will forgive us as we have forgiven others. If we’ve not forgiven others, God will not forgive us. If we have forgiven others, God will forgive us.

“Give, and gifts will be given to you.” How generous are we, especially to those in great need? Are we stingy with our giving? Do we figure that the poor and downtrodden are so because they’ve chosen to be and so deserve their fate? Honestly, who cares? Jesus said to give, not to spend time and energy trying to ascertain the worthiness of those to whom we give. Is it even possible for us to do that? Jesus gave all. He didn’t ask if they were worthy. He didn’t ask if you or I were worthy. He died for all of us.

“The measure with which you measure will be measured back to you.” This, it seems, is only fair. The measure we use to judge others, to forgive or not forgive others, to love our neighbor, to give without looking for return, to endure the slap without returning one (physical, emotional, or otherwise) – all of this will determine our measure, and Jesus will use that measure to judge us when we stand before Him. Pray that the measure according to which we have lived our lives in reference to others, friends, enemies, or neighbors of any kind, will be both a just and merciful measure, so that when our Lord uses that measure to measure us, it will not be a judgment against us and our eternal soul, but be one by which we are found worthy of His kingdom.

Be Christ for all. Bring Christ to all. See Christ in all.