En Gedi in the Desert of Zipth 2018, The Palestinian Authority.

[Jesus said], “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.”   Luke 6:37-38.

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The remarkable story of David sparing the life of King Saul who was out to track David down in the desert of Ziph, is one of mercy, generosity and recognizing the holiness of Saul, the anointed of God. It was chosen as today’s first reading, I imagine, to present a real-life example of what Jesus is talking about: “love your enemies and do good to them….Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” Having read today’s gospel (and I strongly recommend that you do), a reflection attributed to Cardinal Robert Walter McElroy, soon to become the Archbishop of Washington, DC, came to mind. The good cardinal was questioned about an openly gay man working in a local Catholic parish. He remarked: “If the Church eliminated all the employees who are not living out the teachings of the Church in its fullness, we would be employing only angels.” (Which reminded me of a story I heard of the plans of a house of study the Jesuits were proposing in the Maryland countryside years ago. The plans were sent to Rome for approval. The response from Rome said simply, “Suntne angeli?” (Are they angels?) There were no toilets in the plans! I guess they were anticipating the perfection mentioned by Cardinal McElroy).

In today’s gospel, I challenged myself as to how many of Jesus’ requirements I have regularly failed to implement. And the answer is… Well, I must do much better in future. It seems to  amount to a call for major soul spring cleaning! It’s another of those occasions when I have to employ an old bromide: that this is a “counsel of perfection”, meaning it is mightily worthy and demands our attention and effort, but in all frankness, it is unattainable. Which begs the question, “Is it?” Does Jesus ask the impossible of us? As far as I can make out, today’s gospel demands about 18 charitable actions on our part, no matter what evil and cruelty is being inflicted on us. Bearing in mind his own unthinkable suffering, where he begged God to forgive those who had tortured him, it is clear he meant every syllable of his demands of us. Today’s gospel sets out a set of very clear goals. Are we up to them? And before any one of us says, “But we are only human”, and perhaps tries to hold up today’s second reading as proof, then take care. The Christian teaching has ever been that Jesus was fully, totally human. He was tempted in the same ways we are, he suffered as we do, he enjoyed life as we do. He was fully human in every way – yet did not sin. So we have to be just as fully human!

In other words, we are all fully capable of living just as he did, a good, godly, satisfactory, happy life, yet standing up and defending, if necessary, our core beliefs – the truths with which we identify ourselves. As Thomas More says to his daughter Meg prior to his trial for treason in Man for All Seasons, “When a man takes an oath, he’s holding his own self in his own hands. Like water. And if he opens his fingers then – he needn’t hope to find himself again.” (Robert Bolt, 1960, Vintage Books, page 81). Our core beliefs, and the actions which spring from them, are what makes us children of God. Our actions reflect our core beliefs. We will be judged by them and, if worthy, “gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing”. And the one who said that waits for us to ask him for help so that this will, indeed, become true.

AZ Quotes, Mahatma Ghandi.

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