BREAK THE SPIRAL OF EVIL

June 14, Monday

Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

      “Do not accept the grace of God in vain.” Be always open to it. For “today is the acceptable time,” today is the day of grace. Do not let it pass! Are we willing to listen to the voice of Paul?

      Jesus tells us not to repay the unjust by revenge. “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” is not Christian. We must rather suffer injustice and let people take advantage of us, at least when the injustice is done against us. But other parts of the scriptures tell us to defend others if they are wronged, like the poor, and to fight injustice through goodness and forgiveness. That is how we must break the spiral of evil.

 

First Reading: 2 Corinthians 6:1-10

 Companions as we are in this work with you, we beg you, please don’t squander one bit of this marvelous life God has given us. God reminds us,

I heard your call in the nick of time;
The day you needed me, I was there to help.

Well, now is the right time to listen, the day to be helped. Don’t put it off; don’t frustrate God’s work by showing up late, throwing a question mark over everything we’re doing. Our work as God’s servants gets validated—or not—in the details. People are watching us as we stay at our post, alertly, unswervingly . . . in hard times, tough times, bad times; when we’re beaten up, jailed, and mobbed; working hard, working late, working without eating; with pure heart, clear head, steady hand; in gentleness, holiness, and honest love; when we’re telling the truth, and when God’s showing his power; when we’re doing our best setting things right; when we’re praised, and when we’re blamed; slandered, and honored; true to our word, though distrusted; ignored by the world, but recognized by God; terrifically alive, though rumored to be dead; beaten within an inch of our lives, but refusing to die; immersed in tears, yet always filled with deep joy; living on handouts, yet enriching many; having nothing, having it all.

 

Gospel: Matthew 5:28-42

“Here’s another old saying that deserves a second look: ‘Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.’ Is that going to get us anywhere? Here’s what I propose: ‘Don’t hit back at all.’ If someone strikes you, stand there and take it. If someone drags you into court and sues for the shirt off your back, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. And if someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.

 

Prayer

Lord our God,
the injustice found in the world upsets us.
Forgive us the wrongs we have committed
and do not allow us to add
to the evil in the world
by exploiting our brothers and sisters
and using them for our own purposes.
Rather teach and help us
to stand up for integrity and truth,
not to take revenge
but out of the goodness of our hearts.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

Reflection:

In an era without police forces, when revenge easily escalated and continued for generations, this law was designed to stop the endless cycle of violence, by respecting honour on the one hand, and restricting retaliations on the other. Book of Exodus permitted a aggression to the extent of the damage caused and nothing more than that. “You are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth…” But Jesus rejects this proposal. Aggression and violence have no place in the world of Jesus. He wants to break the chain of violence, turn enemies into friends, make a new culture of forgiveness, a culture of appreciating the dignity of people visible in the world.
To strike on the right check, a right-handed aggressor must strike with the back of his hand– it could be a dismissive, contemptuous action, with an attitude of presumed superiority. This was how the masters of the land punished their slaves. When the master, with his large ring of authority on his right-hand fingers, strikes the slave on the cheek with the back of his hand, that bruises the cheek. Jesus wants his disciples to practice restraint even in such moment of humiliation and contempt. Moreover, by turning the other cheek, there is a possibility that the slave could expose the violence of the aggressor/ the master, and peacefully challenge it at the same time.
For those who believe in Jesus and follow him, retaliation is no option and forgiveness is mandatory.
In Palestine, at that time, normal dress of a man consisted of two garments – a basic tunic/undergarment with sleeves, usually of wool or linen, that extended down to the knees; and, draped over that, a larger cloak/outer garment. For the poor working class people, their outer garment was also used as a blanket at night.
In cases, where creditors could claim the outer garment as surety for a loan, the law required that it should be returned by nightfall. Jesus’ extreme suggestion that disciples offer the inner garment as well as the outer one, meant that they would be left naked. But by avoiding violence and maintaining personal dignity, the disciple is assured of inner peace and he could challenge the moral bankruptcy of a society that required pledges and mortgages.
Roman soldiers had the habit of using local residents to carry their packs. Authorities permitted the custom. However, the Roman law restricted to one mile the distance that a soldier could demand of the carrier. Remember the instance of Simon of Cyrene who was forced to carry the Cross of Jesus on the way to Calvary? Jesus demands his disciples To go the second mile.
Jesus refused to accept that the poor peasants were totally powerless. But In the face of injustice and oppression, unlike the Zealots, he would not advocate violent rebellion.

Video available on Youtube: Break the chain