Seventh Sunday (Year A) Loving that S.O.B.

“Love your enemies.” With these three simple words Jesus succeeds in discouraging, if not alienating all of his followers, including me and I would guess, including all of you. I mean, seriously. LOVE your enemies? I don’t want to love them, I want to destroy them. I want to get even, or at best, see them suffer. A lot. OK, maybe I don’t want them to burn in hell forever, but maybe get a little singed in Purgatory for a few million years.
 
Let’s face it, revenge seems so sweet, so satisfying. That’s why we love going to the movies and seeing the bad guys get caught and punished.
 
It may come as a surprise to you that I do have enemies. And it may come as an even greater surprise to learn that the man I consider my enemy is another priest. We live in the same house. (Didn't Jesus say our enemies will be those of our own household?)
 
He made it quite clear on several occasions he doesn’t care for my dog, he doesn’t like my singing and he doesn’t care for me. To be fair, it’s not just me. He doesn’t get along with a lot of people and he is notorious for insulting just about everybody, making sarcastic remarks and for generally making life miserable for those around him.
 
So how am I to love such a person? I can go out of my way to avoid him. I can stop obsessing about clever comments to cut him down the next time we meet. Or I can stop speaking to him altogether. I can keep my mouth shut when others mention what a nasty old man he is. All of that is nice, but not of that is love.
 
Jesus demands I do more. I must pray for him….and that means more than praying that God will take him real soon.
 
I must pray that God remove from my heart all ill will and negative thoughts regarding this man. I have to actively pray for his good. I have to forgive him.
 
And I know from experience that this is impossible, at least for me. But God can do the impossible and it’s God’s job to forgive, so when I pray I am honest with God and I say, Lord, I know you commanded me to love my enemies but I find it impossible to love that S.O.B., so I am asking you to let me love and forgive him through you. Most of all, remove from my heart all negative feelings and evil desires for revenge.
 
Well, about a year ago, that man asked to see me and I thought, dear God, please don’t let me punch him. He wanted to see me because he said it came to his attention that he hasn’t always treated me with Christian charity and wanted to ask for my forgiveness.
 
I didn’t say, “I’ll think about it.” I didn’t form a committee to discuss his request. I said, “Of course I forgive you.”
 
So he and I both felt better. For about a week. Then he started in again saying nasty things and making life miserable. Sometimes I think that even Mother Teresa would have strangled him. Then just last week I was in the dining room at Maryknoll and I must be honest, if I see him at a table I go sit someplace else (unless it’s Lent and I want to do penance by eating a meal with him.) But he came and sat with me. We exchanged greetings and ate our meal and although there was pleasant conversation with the other people at table, he didn’t join in. When it came time for coffee and desert, I got up and cleared away the dirty dishes. I asked if I could remove his and he said, “Why yes, much appreciated. That’s very kind of you.”
 
Someone once said, you do not destroy your enemy when you kill him. You destroy your enemy by making him your friend.
 
You do not love your enemy because of who he is; you love him because of who you are.
 
And you are who you are because of who God is. And God is love. And God is perfect. And if we are to be sons and daughters of God, as followers of Jesus, we must struggle every day to love everyday perfectly.
 
No, it’s not easy. In fact, it’s impossible. But if a crucified carpenter can rise from the dead, then all things are possible by the power of that same spirit which raised Christ from the dead. And that Spirit is in all of you.

A change of heart for Valentine's Day (The Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time)

You have no idea how often I've heard people say they've either stopped coming to church or they come but they don't "get anything out of it." My question to them is, "Well, what did you put into it?" And what exactly did you expect to get from the Mass?

If you expect nothing, that's probably what you will get. If you expect to be mildly entertained, especially during this homily, you'll most likely be mildly disappointed. Did you expect Jesus to hear and answer your prayers? Now, that may or may not happen. It depends on you.

How did you prepare for Mass today? Did you stumble out of bed at the last minute, throw on some clothes and rush out the door? Did you sit silently in your car because you had an argument with your parents, siblings or spouse? Did you curse the driver in the car ahead of you who got the last parking space?

Perhaps a more important question is: why did you come to Mass today? To meet friends? To get your parents to shut up about coming to Church? To fulfill your Sunday obligation? To avoid committing a mortal sin which would result in your going straight to hell (although deep down you really don't believe that---but why take a chance)?

Or rather did you come with a grateful heart to show God your appreciation for the blessings you received? Did you come because you really need God's help with a major crisis you are facing or for just enough strength to get you through another day or week? Did you come because you want God to do something for you or because you are ready to do something for God?

Before the proclamation of the gospel at each Mass we make three signs of the cross that God may open our minds, open our lips and open our hearts. Are you ready to receive God's message? To proclaim God's message? To believe God's message? In other words, are you ready to let the living word of God into your life so that it can transform you?

Again I ask, how did you prepare for Mass today and what did you expect to happen?

Which of you would come into the church carrying a bag of garbage? Imagine if someone actually did that! Worse, what if, at the offertory, that person came up to the altar to offer the bag of trash? And at communion time, that person came forward again, this time to add the Eucharist to the bag of trash. What a waste! What a sacrilege! But isn't that exactly what we do if we come to Mass with a heart filled with hatred, anger, jealousy, resentment, lust and greed?

In today's gospel, Jesus says, "If you find yourself offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has anything against you, leave your gift and go first and be reconciled with them and then come back and offer your gift."

If you want a life-changing experience at Mass, you've got to do your homework. Swallow your pride. Put your ego aside. Go to the one you have offended. Apologize. Make amends. Be reconciled to one another. In other words, die! Die to yourself so that Christ might live in you.

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. This means a card and maybe chocolate and flowers for your spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend or best friend. The classic symbol of love on Valentine's Day is a heart with an arrow through it. Did you ever think about that?

We have images of a chubby Cupid shooting his arrows by which we are smitten with our love for someone. But it's an arrow that pierces and hurts and wounds. Love hurts.

And from his place on the cross, Jesus looks down on you and says, "You're telling me?!"

While we appreciate your monetary offering at Mass, today let us also offer Jesus our hearts, however broken or wounded or fearful they may be. Let us let go of our grudges and not dwell on past hurts. Love casts out all fear. Let the love of Christ conquer your hearts and heal your hurts and cast out your fear.

In a few moments when you receive the Body of Christ and say "Amen", say it boldly and with confidence. Be prepared to return to your seat, to return to your home, to return to your family and friends as a changed person, new person ready to live a new life in Christ who now lives in you.

The person you were when who came into Mass today will not be the same person as the one who leaves.