Radical Love
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20250223 Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Radical Love
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.”In this passage, Jesus teaches his disciples about radical love, forgiveness, and generosity. He encourages them to love their enemies, do good to those who hate them, and pray for those who mistreat them. Instead of seeking revenge, they should offer kindness and mercy. Jesus emphasizes that loving only those who love you and doing good only for those who do good to you is not enough; even sinners do that. He urges them to love unconditionally, lend without expecting anything in return, and to forgive others, as God is merciful to all. He also advises against judging or condemning others, promising that the measure they use will be the same measure used for them.
We listen but we don’t judge. Is one of the newest trends on TikTok right now. This Sundays Gospel is truly about how we treat others and how we expect to be treated in return. The statement we listen but we don’t judge is an easy thing to say but we all know just because we say that we don’t judge we all have the bias and our internal thoughts of judgment. Today’s Gospel come from the Gospel of Luke. I truly believe that it is utterly impossible for us as Human’s and people of God to not pass some kind of judgement on others. In society today I truly believe that it is not about our personal views, but how we act and react to our situations. I am a person who believes strongly in helping others even when it is not returned in the same way. I very much wear my heart on my sleeve but that has a nature of getting me hurt.
My reflection for this gospel is a story of how I let my heart stand in the way of a friendship. At this point in my life I was going through a pivotal shift in my professional life. I was looking to start my career in healthcare but I was stuck between having all the wrong experience and connections. With that said I had a job completely unrelated to my desired field of work but still in a hospital. When I took this job I was very clear with the person that gave me a reference in saying that I am only here until I get a job in my related field, whether that was one month or one year, but I was going to move on at the first chance. With that said I has been working for about a month and it was a simple but demanding job with the hours being nights. (I did not like working nights, I am one that needs my beauty sleep.)
With that I made a connection that provided me a road map of how to get into my desired field, that road map was that I would have to shift my place of employment and need to resign, now that was a month after starting. With that I began the application process for the desired job and I landed the job. Now my friend at the time was working a similar job but at a different site. We started the same time and were referred by the same person. When I told my friend that I was going to be quitting and that I got a job more in line with my desired career, instead of being happy for me they got really upset and judged me for not sticking to the job that we were referred to together.
The reason this story sticks out to me is because of the judgment I received from someone I considered a good friend, my hope when I shared with them that I was going to resign was that they would have been happy for me that I was progressing in my career. We listen but we don’t judge. This time of my life has become one of the best decisions I have made for myself not only as an individual but as a person of faith. My faith tells me to not pass judgement on my neighbors or my enemies, even when it can alter friendships. This story for me defines what the Bible Passage from luke is talking about radical love, that it’s okay to Love yourself in pursuit of a better outcome for you, instead of wishing ill or malice upon people forgive and show mercy and kindness.
--Collins
