Friars Corner: God’s mercy pushes our limits
Fr. Bob Hilz, TOR
1 Samuel 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23; Psalm 103:1-4, 8, 10, 12-13; 1 Corinthians 15:45-49
Dear Holy Spirit, please set us on fire with Your divine light so we understand and shine and radiate You plan and will in the world around us.
As I have been thinking about these readings and praying for wisdom about what to share with you, new lights went on in my mind. The Pentecost Sequence tells us some ways the Holy Spirit helps us. He refreshes and intensifies his light in our mind so we shine with his brightness. He fills up our “gas tank,” “charges our battery,” and “turns on his lights” in us so we radiate more divine power. These elements are part of the new kingdom Jesus came to earth to establish. Our faith is not restricted to one country or race; nor is it governed by political coercion or military forces or human fear. It is God’s spiritual power through the sacraments, study and our prayer, as we plug into his power.
The greatest quality of God is his merciful care for us. This quality in the Hebrew language is called hesed. This doesn’t translate easily into English. for it is not just one word like grace, whatever that means. We have several mystical spiritual words, which often need explaining.
God’s mercy is far beyond our word love in all its dimensions. It is a goodness that is between people, as in a good family or friendship. God, the whole Trinity, Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, want to fill us with his great kindness as we open ourselves to receive it.
Two kingdoms
In the Jewish-Christian perspective, there are only two kingdoms. In the Old Testament there was only one kingdom of God for the Jewish people. God established his personal relationship with certain human leaders in what we call covenants. In these God promised certain things and gave certain guidelines. We have five of these made with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and King David. The Ten Commandments God gave to Moses are likely our greatest example. God always remained faithful in his mercy, yet humans mostly failed in their part of the covenant.
In the first reading today we have part of a 1000-year-old story of the anointed King Saul and a shepherd boy, David. He was used by God to kill a great Philistine warrior, Goliath, who had come to destroy Israel. David only used his shepherd’s sling with one stone to Goliath’s forehead. That act brought David instant popularity among the people. Saul became jealous and saw David’s act as a threat to his reign. So he tried to kill David with a great army. God caused a deep sleep over the army one night and David, with Abishai, found Saul among his army. David took the spear and water jar from Saul but did not kill God’s anointed king. And the adventure went on and eventually, David became King. The Liturgy today responds to that story with Psalm 103, God is kind and merciful.
Adam and Christ
After the failed covenant with King David, God eventually sent his Son, Jesus, taking on human flesh except sin, to save the human race by his suffering and death on the cross. We know God accepted the sacrifice of his Son, by raising Jesus Christ from the dead on Easter Sunday. St. Paul gives us information about the sin of Adam and Christ being the new Adam in his death and resurrection. Christ’s glorified body is an image of the kind of body we can share after our life on earth if we follow Jesus in his kingdom. This new kingdom is not limited to one race or group but offered to the entire human race, what we call our Catholic faith. The end of St. Mark’s gospel gives us Jesus’ command.
Go forth into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These are the signs that will mark those who believe: In my name they will cast out demons. They will be granted the gift of speaking in new languages. If they pick up serpents in their hands or drink any deadly poison, they will remain unharmed. The sick on whom they lay their hands will recover. (Mk 16:15-18)
Key elements
This Sunday St. Luke follows his Beatitude story from last week. He gives us the one of the key elements of Christ’s new kingdom – love. As we analyze the life of Jesus in the gospel stories, we see how God loves us. Jesus tells his followers, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”
In verse 31, Luke gives us the old Golden Rule, “Deal with others (do to others) as you would like them to deal with you.” If every human would be raised with that one sentence, we would have a much different world, don’t you think? As persons who have the responsibility to care for our family or priests their parish do we have a moral responsibility to protect those we are to care for? Yes. This does require some moral principals of how we go about protecting ourselves. We can’t allow every crazy person who wants to kill us and our loved ones to be free to do so.
A Summary of the Ten Commandments
Luke tells the short story of a young lawyer who asked what he must do to be saved. Jesus asked, what was written in the Law. The man answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus told him if he did that he would live. This is the summary in the New Testament of the Ten Commandments given to Moses in two commands. Note the second part; love your neighbor as you love yourself. The key of the New Kingdom is love. As we receive God’s mercy, we are obliged to share it with others.
In the New Testament, the key to God’s mercy is limitless. There is only one creator and sustainer of all persons and things. In a logical sense, all of us humans are brothers and sisters to one another. There are no grandchildren in God’s family.
The Challenge of love
Jesus’ command to love others is a great challenge and deserves much reflection and asking God how we are to live that out. What our country is dealing with at our Southern border is a good example. There are 500,000 illegal immigrants in our country already. This is a moral question. Can we take in and provide for all the needs of new immigrants without their paying? Can we give them free housing, food, education and health care? Do you have the money in your bank account with your gold and silver savings to pay all the expenses of all the new immigrants?
What are we doing for all of our citizens who already live here and are in need? When I lived in Chandler, AZ, for three months, I observed most new homes were built with a wall about ten feet high on three sides. You only saw the front of the house. How many of our higher government citizens live in gated communities and some with security guards?
God in his mercy wants to provide for us each day, giving us “daily bread” at Mass in the Eucharist. There, and in our daily prayer life, he fills us with all kinds of divine power and sends us out into the world to be his hands and love to help others. Can we solve every problem, stop all wars, and feed all the poor? Lord, help us to do what you empower us to do after we take care of our current responsibilities.
Have a good mercy-filled week,
+ Fr. Bob Hilz
fbhilz@gmail.com
(© 2019 Fr. Bob Hilz, TOR)
