COMPASSIONATE AS THE FATHER

V/​ I will turn to you O God, 

R/​ to God who gives joy to my youth

V/​ Give me the Wisdom that sits by your throne; 

R/ that I may be counted among your children

Lord, in your all-providential plan, you have led me to this moment to rediscover me in your Word and Wisdom. Aid me to make this time of meditation and prayer enriching, transforming, and liberating for my well-being and others. Amen!

7TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YR C

23rd February 2025

1 Samuel 26:2-23; Psalm 103(102): 1-4, 8,10,12-13; 1 Corinthians 15:45-49; Luke 6:27-38

The readings for today have answered the frequently asked questions about “To whom am I to model my life?” Or as some others would ask, “What’s the best way to model my life?” Both questions are geared towards finding a better way to approach life. However, there is something more eternally rewarding that the readings offer. In the first reading, David says, “The Lord repays everyone for his uprightness and loyalty”; in the second reading, Paul tells us that if we model our lives to Christ, we will be like Him and become a life-giving spirit. In the gospel, Christ says we will have a great reward as sons and daughters of the Most High. The question is: How might we inherit these rewards?

We are presented with two antithetical models in our readings. There is a Saul and a David; a seeking to take life and a seeking to preserve life; a desire to go against the commandments and a willingness to abide by the commandments; a first Adam, and a last Adam; a living soul and a life-giving Spirit; an earthly man and a heavenly man; a restrictive love and a love that goes beyond ourselves. To which of these is your life modelled?

Precisely, the readings present us with an invitation to participate in the inner life of God. It beckons us to transcend the ordinary human response to situations. It calls us up to be like the Father whose love goes out to the undeserving; whose mercy knows no bounds; whose compassion is infinite. David knew that if he killed Saul, the kingdom of Israel would belong to him. David may have thought of the riches, wealth and fame of kingship; but he prioritised the thought of the law of God and chose to be faithful to God. When faced with challenging situations and dilemmas, our natural inclination sometimes makes us act out of spontaneity. We are sometimes put in difficult circumstances that might force us to act instantaneously and inappropriately. In these times, can we delay judgment and action for a second? Is it possible to spare a thought and reflect on what happened? Is it not right to take a step backwards, stand away from the toxicity surrounding us and think again?

Sometimes, at those moments of stepping backwards, we are stepping into the life of the last Adam; in these times of suspending immediate judgment we are showing compassion like the Father. This is a time to reflect on our judgment patterns and systems. How do I judge? What are the criteria for judging situations? David became a judge over the life of Saul and his men, yet he chose to spare their lives and left them to face the divine judgement. Looking at the life of Christ, we see an expression of a love that moves the heart to repentance; a love that heals the other; a love that draws the sinner into remorsefulness. These are heavenly gifts. As a Christian who has received these gifts at baptism and is rejuvenated by the sacraments, there should be a difference between you and those who are yet to receive the graces of Christ through the sacraments.

If we are journeying towards heaven, we are invited to look up to the heavenly Adam as an ideal model. How might we travel through the road? St John of the Cross advises us on how to walk this road to being like the Father. Due to our human inclinations, the journey towards transformation becomes an uphill task. However difficult it may seem, we need to set out on the road to ascend the mountain to unite our wills to the will of Father. John of the Cross, in his Ascent of Mt Carmel tells us that on the journey to becoming like the Father, we must let go of our natural inclinations. We ought to do away with avarice, covetousness, harsh judgments, hate, revenge, unforgiveness, ungratefulness and all sorts of evils. Truly, we cannot purge ourselves of these sins, and that is why we need God to immerse ourselves in His Word because God’s Word has the inexplicable power to wash us clean. To be like the Father, we have to be merciful. Today, Christ says to us, A new commandment I give to you; that you love one another, just as I have loved you.