Readings (Year C):
1 Samuel 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23
Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 8, 10, 12-13
1 Corinthians 15:45-49
Luke 6:27-38
Reflection: Beyond the expected
When we do what is expected, what is ordinary, what is obvious, it often goes unnoticed. Consider the simple act of making your bed in the morning or folding laundry after it dries. These tasks, while necessary, rarely draw attention or praise because they are seen as routine, as obligations. It is only when we go beyond the expected—when we exceed the ordinary—that our actions begin to resonate, to inspire, to transform. This principle is not merely a matter of daily chores; it is a profound spiritual truth that Jesus illuminates in the gospel of Luke.
Similarly, the reading from Luke states, “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.” If you do the obvious, it doesn’t matter much.
Jesus says, do things that are beyond what is expected of you. We are not just supposed to love those who already love us. We are to love those who do not love us—like our enemies. Christ urges us to go beyond what is required of us. This is not easy for us to do, but Jesus assures us that the reward will be great. This is the promise that Jesus offers.
We are to love our enemies and show them mercy. In the ancient world, many groups believed that the community was to imitate its leader. So the community is to be merciful as God is merciful. Mercy often means releasing people and circumstances from the recrimination they deserve. Mercy is one of God’s primary qualities (Exodus 34:6-7) and the notion of mercy in Luke 6 has an eschatological frame of reference.
To live in the kin-dom of God, then, is to live as God lives: generously, mercifully, and unconditionally. It is to love not because it is easy or reciprocated, but because it is the essence of who we are called to be. It is to release others from the recrimination they may deserve, just as God has released us. This kind of love is not measured by what we hope to receive in return, but by the boundless mercy we have already been given. It is a love that works tirelessly for justice, kindness, and the flourishing of all people, especially those who are hardest to love.
This call is not easy. To love our enemies, to show mercy without condition, to give without expectation—these are acts that require divine strength and grace. Yet Jesus assures us that the reward for such a life is great. It is a life that reflects the heart of God, a life that participates in the unfolding of God’s kin-dom here on earth. It is a life that, though it may go unnoticed by the world, is deeply cherished by the one who sees all and loves beyond measure.
May we have the courage to move beyond the obvious, to live lives of extraordinary love and mercy, and to bear witness to the boundless grace of God in all that we do. Amen.
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