Seventh Sunday Gospel  C

Jesus said to his disciples: “To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. 

· How does the word of Jesus correspond or conflict with the learned behavior taught by the world today?

· The way of a disciple of Jesus must be different than the way of the world. One leads to eternal life and the other the destruction of life and relationships. Which do you want to choose?

· How does God treat us? This is the way we are to treat others. God moves from justice to mercy and love. Do we expect God to treat us in any other way than we treat others?

· Jesus gives specific examples how we are to move from justice to mercy in our relationship to others. How do we measure against them?

For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, and get back the same amount. But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.

· The love Jesus is requiring of us is not an emotional feeling, but a decision to act for the good of the other because God has shown us this kind of love when we were undeserving of it. Is our love for others reflective of this command of Jesus? If not, what will we decide to do?

· If we think Jesus is asking too much of us, view him on the cross and see that he put into action what he asked of us.

· The basis of what we do as disciples is not the way of the world but the way of the Lord. Which way do we choose to follow?

 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. 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.”

· What a sobering thought! The way we treat others is the way we are telling God to treat us. If we love others, forgive others, show kindness to others, then this is how God will judge us. But the opposite is also true. God has set the standard of mercy and love. But if we want the standard to be strict justice and non-forgiveness, so it will be.

· What needs to change in our life as a result of reflection on this passage?

· With Lent coming up what could be a good Lenten resolution as a result of this teaching of Jesus?