Farther and Deeper; 7th Sunday Ordainary Time

I want to start by reminding us what we heard last Sunday from St Paul

"We speak not of the wisdom of this age, nor the rulers of this age who are passing away. Rather, we speak of God's wisdom, mysterious and hidden."

The last few Sundays we have been hearing Jesus teaching on the mountain that very same, mysterious and hidden wisdom.

On the mountain, from time immemorial, is where God is encountered. Think of Moses going up the

 mountain to receive the word of God or Elijah encountering God on the mountain in the quiet,

breeze or the transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain.

Jesus speaks from the mountain, as God would, and he reveals not a new law, but he gives the law new breath and new depth. Jesus on the mountain fulfills the Law.

It began with the Beatitudes, a description of the blessed who are not powerful or rich, but poor, merciful and peacemakers.

Jesus tells us that those blessed, and those to be blessed, must be like salt and light, acting,

 Positivity upon the world to flavor and preserve to illuminate and warm.

Last Sunday Jesus used contrasts to compare what was to what is.

Each contrast begins with startling authority considering Jesus is speaking of the Law of Moses.   " you have heard it said,(referring to the Law) but I say to you."

And what he says enriches and expands the law beyond the expected or even the reasonable.

Today, Jesus continues to get beneath the symptom to address the root cause.

Today's contrasts reveals that disordered pride often turns to fear, hatred, and resentment. This

resentment simmers and festers till it turns to the taking of life.

Jesus also reveals that this dis ordered pride is also wants to separate and exclude while God always desires to gather and include.

"You have heard it said an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth"

This is tribal law. It was a safety net that set the limit on inter-community vengeance and murder. It was about equal and reasonable retaliation. It was meant to lessen the bloodsheds within the community.

 Call it justice or national security, it still left lives lost and shattered.  The taking of any life,  or even

the diminishing of any life, goes against God's will.

But, what Jesus says widens the safety net.

You want to end violence then end anger; in the family, the community and across borders. Don't

limit retaliation, expand forgiveness and mercy.

Show resistance nonviolently, show courage by turning your cheek to receive another unjust blow. Show strength by going the extra distance in understanding and mercy.

Show kindness and respect by not denying another's existence by turning your back to them.

Violence of any kind, physical or verbal, is simply mis-placed anger and wounded pride lashing back.

 It might be the wisdom of the powerful but, it is not the wisdom of God.

 "You have heard it said you shall love you neighbor and hate your enemy, but I say to you love your enemies"

Jesus is not saying loving family and friends, the good neighbor and the fellow citizen is wrong, only

that it is too narrow and it conforms to the prejudices of this world. And this conforming to the

world's vision might be reasonable, but it is certainly not blessed.

To love one's enemies is to open one’s self to the healing power of God's love.

 It literally sets God's love free in our lives and the lives around us.

Loving one's enemies is challenging to say the least, but it is truly transformative.

It turns reasonable concern into compassion. Reasonable care in to selfless service.

 It turns fear and hatred into brave openness and trust.

Loving one's enemies can turn the metaphorical or the concrete wall, that shames and separates,

into a bridge that heals and unites.

 Loving our enemies, as well as our friends and ourselves, reveals that the Church, as a sign of what God's kingdom looks like, must be a sign for the nation the Church must be a sanctuary that includes everyone (even the marginal and distant).

To love our enemies reveals love's natural inclusiveness and it sheds transforming light on the fear

and loathing that often whispers advise in the darkness - you are better then them (it says) or it

screams from the platform we are more deserving then they are.

But, we know these whispers and screams are lies.

 Let's not deceive ourselves to be blessed is to, as best we can, see through the eyes of Jesus, to feel

with the heart of Jesus and to act with the conviction of Jesus.

 It is to seek justice and empower equality. It is to reach out to heal and to invite the other to break

bread. It is to see each imperfect and broken human being as a beloved child of God (for surly they

are).  It is to see love as the only way.

 We end at the beginning with St Paul

"Let no one deceive themselves. If any of us consider ourselves wise in this age, let them become a fool, so as to become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God."

St Paul is right, we do not want to live and certainly not stake our lives on the wisdom of this age, rather we should be foolish, even radical to the world, because we know that there is nothing foolish about; forgiveness, generosity, kindness and compassion or as the pop song says - what's so funny about peace, love and understanding.

And in our foolishness we should listen very closely, for sometimes the voice of the spirit is drowned

out by the clamor of evil, to what God commands us to do - love one another as I love