Readings for February 22-23, Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Fr. Jack Treloar, SJ | For On Mission
This week’s Gospel passage comes from that section of Luke commonly called the “Sermon on the Plain.” Luke has already presented his version of the Beatitudes and now gives Jesus’ teaching on accepting and growing in discipleship.
Many apparent rules and regulations occur in our passage. “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.” If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you?” This manner of speaking can be discouraging as one tries to lead a life of Christian discipleship. Jesus seems to present an impossible burden to his disciples.
Clues to help us understand this apparent rigor occur in the latter part of the reading. Jesus tells his listeners, “Give and gifts will be given to you…” and “Be merciful as your Father is merciful.” All of Jesus’ sayings are concerned with generosity and mercy. Taken in this light, then, what seems to be a set of heavy burdens that no one could possibly meet becomes a series of suggestions mapping out a way of life. In any way of life, one never meets all of the goals all of the time. A way of life is, rather, a pathway or orientation.
Jesus asks that disciples follow him. In this section of Luke, he gives the disciples the implications of what that following entails.
They are to be generous in the most basic sense in that they lend generously and not demand repayment. They must love their enemies. They must not judge or condemn. They must forgive. When one forgives another’s failings, one manifests a spirit of generosity.
They are to be merciful just as the father is merciful. Perhaps the one who borrowed cannot return payment; forgive the debt.
Loving an enemy is reconciling with someone who has offended. Refusing to judge or condemn another manifests God’s love for all people. God forgives the sinner, so, too, must the disciple forgive.
Underneath all of this is the tremendous invitation to be like Jesus, to be like the Father in generosity. When we look through the Scriptures, we discover the tremendous generosity of God toward the human race.
God creates the whole material and living world as a gift to humans. God chooses a people to be his own and continues to love them despite their sinfulness and idolatries. The gifts just keep coming.
There is also an invitation to be merciful. This is not just a once in a while mercy, but mercy as a way of life.
Jesus constantly showed mercy to outcasts, tax collectors and sinners. He wanted to show mercy to the scribes and Pharisees, but they refused his offer. God shows mercy to all those who repent and want to live holy lives.
Returning to our scripture, one now sees that Jesus is not just promulgating a series of impossible commandments that discourage. Rather, he invites one to a life of generosity and mercy. Attempts to live in the manner, he suggests, bring us closer to Jesus himself and to the generous and merciful Father.
Fr. Treloar is an assistant director at Jesuit Retreat House in Oshkosh and has served as a professor, lecturer, author and academic administrator.
The readings for Sunday, Feb. 23, can be found at Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time | USCCB.