Sunday Inbox Inspiration: February 19, 2023: 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time, February 19, Cycle A

 Sunday Inbox Inspirations 

7th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 Cycle A

February 19, 2023

 

Love and Pray for Enemies 

 

So, we are to love and pray for Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, and maybe others.

 

I think we would call these countries our enemies, enemies of the United States. And we are to love and pray for these countries not just in the abstract, but personally – for their leaders and their people.

 

We are to lift them up to God in prayer. And in prayer, we are also to try to deal with our feelings of hostility toward them. 

 

And we are to do the same thing in our personal lives with those whom we see as enemies, people who don’t like us or are offensive toward us. We are to love and pray for them too.

 

The Teaching 

 

As if that isn’t enough, Jesus tells us to offer no resistance to one who is evil.

 

He uses three examples. The first is that if someone smacks you in the face, don’t smack back. 

 

Instead, turn and let the person smack you on the other side of your face too. Oh really?

 

The second example is if someone steals your sweater, offer him your cap too. Oh really? 

 

And the third example is that if a Roman soldier requires you to carry his equipment for one mile – and the Roman law allowed this at that time – then offer to carry it an extra mile. Again, really?

 

To go back to where his lesson started, Jesus says to offer no resistance to the evil one. I have to say that there is some exaggeration here to make a point.

 

It’s something like Jesus’ exaggeration when he says to pluck out your eye or cut off your arm if it’s a source of sin. He doesn’t really want us to do that.

 

But he is making the absolute point that we are to do whatever possible to avoid sin and follow his way. I think something similar is going on here.

 

Jesus is not saying: don’t protect yourself. And he is not saying: be a doormat.

 

But he is saying: realize that just returning evil for evil does not resolve the problem. In fact, it will continue the spiral of evil.

 

So, we need to explore ways of connecting with those who harm us. We need to explore common ground and try non-violent, peace-making solutions to differences.

 

In the long run, this will be the only way to resolve things. And that is why Jesus even tells us, to go back to where I began, to love and pray for our enemies.

 

The Result 

 

Jesus concludes by telling us the result of our trying to do this.

 

He says: “We will be children of our heavenly Father, who makes his sun rise on the bad and good.” In other words, we as God’s children will grow to become more and more like God himself, in whose image we are made.

 

This will be the way to become more God-like persons. That’s my take on today’s challenging teaching. 

 

 Fr. Michael Schleupner

Sunday Inbox Inspiration: February 12, 2023: 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time, February 12, Cycle A

 Sunday Inbox Inspirations 

6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 Cycle A

February 12, 2023

 

 Faith as Relationship 

 

This past week, the more I looked at today’s gospel, the more just one word came to me, the word relationship. 

 

The reason is this. Basically, we can look at faith in one of two ways. 

 

One way is to see faith as a list of doctrines that we believe and of commandments that we obey. The other way is to see faith as a relationship.

 

No question, faith includes doctrines – our understanding of who God is, as in our Profession of Faith. And faith also includes commandments – like the Ten Commandments.

 

But underneath all of this, theologians today hold that faith is a relationship. It is fundamentally and primarily a relationship with God. 

 

Jesus and Relationship

 

God, especially through Jesus, initiates this relationship. And I see three components in this.

 

First, God wants to be with us. 

 

Jesus tells is that he is with us always, until the end of time. He assures us that he remains with us through the Holy Spirit who abides within us.

 

Second, God speaks with us. 

 

The entire Bible is God talking to us and God does this especially through Jesus. In fact, Jesus continues to talk with us every time we read or listen to the gospel.

 

And third, God cares for us and loves us.

 

The Scripture tells us that God is love – it’s that simple. Jesus repeatedly shows his care and love for people and continues to care for us and love us in many ways, including right here in the Eucharist. 

 

So, 1) Jesus is with us, 2) Jesus speaks to us, and 3) Jesus loves us. That’s God’s side of the relationship.

 

And now, we are to respond by choosing 1) to be with Jesus, 2) to speak to him in our prayer, and 3) to love him by the way we live. This last way is where today’s gospel comes in. 

 

Jesus gives us three examples of what it means to love him by living up to our side of the relationship. He is very clear that he doesn’t want us to see faith in him as just obeying commandments.

 

Instead, Jesus wants us to put our heart into it all and live out the spirit of the commandments. This will be doing our part of loving Jesus in this relationship.

 

We and Relationship 

 

So, in his first example, Jesus wants us to be peaceable persons. He reminds us of the commandment not to kill anyone. 

 

But he tells us not even to act out of a destructive anger. He wants us to get inside ourselves at the real cause of external violence – at the vengeance or hostility that can lie within us. 

 

He wants us to get hold of these feelings and live out of our peaceful relationship with him. He wants us to be peaceable persons. 

 

And then, Jesus wants us to be faithful persons. He reminds us of the commandment against adultery.

 

But he tells us not even to be lusting after someone who is not our wife or husband. Again, he wants us to get inside ourselves at the unchecked tendencies that can cause infidelity.

 

He wants us to live out of the faithful relationship that he has with us and give our best to one another in marriage. He wants us to be faithful persons.    

 

And finally in today’s passage, Jesus wants us to be truthful persons. He reminds us of the practice of his day of taking oaths as a way to assure the truth of what someone was saying.

 

But he tells us that this isn’t necessary. He says that this may lead to the practice that things said without an oath may not be true.

 

He wants us to live out of the relationship with him where he tells us the truth about himself and the heavenly Father and about ourselves and how we are to live. He wants us to be truthful persons. 

 

Conclusion

 

So, faith as relationship with God and with Jesus Christ.

 

That’s what I see as the basis for Jesus’ calling us to more – to live not just the literal wording, but the real spirit of the commandments. 

 

 

Fr. Michael Schleupner

Sunday Inbox Inspiration: February 5, 2023: 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, February 5, Cycle A

Sunday Inbox Inspirations 

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 Cycle A

February 5, 2023

 

 Salt in Food

 

I seldom add salt to food.

 

We all know what the medical profession says about limiting the amount of sodium in our diet. Most food needs some salt, but I rarely add more to what is already in it.

 

The exception is that every August, I find myself using the saltshaker. I enjoy a simple tomato sandwich: slices of vine-ripe tomato, mayonnaise on the bread, a slice of cheddar cheese, and definitely a dash of salt on the tomato.

 

The salt brings out the wonderful taste of the tomato. It just isn’t quite as good without the salt.

 

Those who like to cook tell me how important salt is. Just the right amount brings out the full flavor of the beef or green beans, but too much salt can ruin the taste.

 

We Are Salt

 

Our use of salt on food helps us to appreciate today’s gospel.

 

Jesus tells us that we are “the salt of the earth.” The idea is that we are to flavor and enhance the world.

 

Just as salt does for food, we are to bring out the best in those around us. So, parents are salt by teaching their children simple things like saying “Please” or “Thank you” or by helping them with a science project or something like that.  

 

Teachers and guidance counselors are salt by guiding young people into the extra-curriculars that will develop them well – like dance, music, soccer, basketball, whatever. We can be salt by listening carefully to a spouse or friend, helping them to clarify what their upset is all about, and then assisting them in figuring out how they might best express themselves.

 

As I say all of this, it is also important to remember that ordinary salt is something we seldom notice. We never say: “Wow, that salt really tastes good!”

 

Instead, we say: “That fried chicken was great!” If it is the right amount, the salt enhances and draws the best out of the food, but draws no attention to itself.

 

That is an important feature of salt. Jesus wants us to have this same feature.

 

We Are Light

 

Jesus also tells us that we are to be “the light of the world.”  

 

Well, we don’t sit and look at a light bulb, and we should not look directly at the sun. Instead, we look at what light illumines.

 

So, something like salt, as light we are not to be the center of attention. Instead, we are to light up what is beyond us and enable others to see certain things.

 

Maybe it is the light of faith itself when we try to share parts of our faith and faith practice with our children. Maybe it is the light of an insight, when we try to guide a young adult on a relationship issue. 

 

Maybe it is pointing out the light instead of cursing the darkness. Instead of just harping on the bad things in our society and world, we can highlight persons who give generously of their time for aging parents or for Habitat for Humanity and things like that.

 

Pope Francis once gave an interview to a journalist who is a non-believer, an agnostic. And the Pope never put him down for not believing.

 

Instead, he affirmed the good things this man is doing and said we meet and are one in doing good. That’s the Pope’s way to be light in today’s world, and it is a good example for us, maybe in dealing with a son or daughter or others who no longer practice their faith.

 

Conclusion

 

One more thought. Too much salt can ruin food and too much light can blind us. 

 

In trying to be salt and light for others, we need to be careful. Pushing too much by being too much salt or too much light can hurt relationships and just push others away from what we would like them to have.     

 

So, with that caution, Jesus uses some simple images to describe how he wants us to be his disciples. Both salt and light focus beyond themselves, not on themselves.

 

And both are very positive in the way they act. Helpful images and lessons for us today!

 

Fr. Michael Schleupner