February 23, 2025
7th Sunday
Ordinary Time
FOCUS: Jesus teaches us to see others as God sees them.
Though our enemies may mistreat us, Jesus teaches us not to respond in judgment. Rather, we are to be loving and forgiving, just as our Father is kind and merciful. We must see others as God sees them, in the same way that David is able to see his enemy Saul as God’s anointed, and Jesus is able to see sinners as worthy of goodness and love.
What's in Your Heart
It’s hard to wiggle out of this clear-cut directive of Jesus. “Do good to those who hate you.” And it’s hard to live up to it. The question is, “Where am I going to dwell, in the land of death, or in the land of life?”
​
-
Daily life offers countless opportunities to put this Sunday’s gospel into practice. Can I think of one clear-cut example from the past week in which I’ve loved an enemy or done good to someone who hates me? How about a recent time when I failed to do that?
​
-
Loving others does not mean being available for abuse. What have I learned in my life about being loving in the midst of conflict?
​
-
Often, seemingly loving behaviors are simply efforts at manipulation or a “quid pro quo.” What can I do in my own life to make my actions more purely loving?
Homily Stories
I once was fired from a job as a parish minister. The reason that the new pastor gave for my termination was that, after five years of ministry in the parish community, there was not enough office space for me. It was kind of a lame excuse—there were empty offices in the building. Nonetheless, June 30 would be my final day of service.
​
It was commonly agreed by most anyone you asked that I had done good work and won the trust and affection of the community. To this day, I do not know the real reason my contract was not renewed. But what I do know is that the work of forgiveness is not easy.
​
I soon landed a better job. I found a new community to serve and to love and I found fulfillment in living a vocation that I knew was mine. But the pain and the sting of losing something so dear remained. Over the years, I tried to forgive and I would sometimes even think I had moved on. Then I would be fairly blindsided by resentment when I encountered that pastor.
​
I spent a lot of time thinking about it. I prayed for grace to forgive and to see him as God sees. Over time, I have learned that it is process. And the gospel provides the ideal. “Do good to those who hate you. Pray for those who mistreat you.” Some days I can do that, even easily. Other days, I have to start anew.
​
