HOMILY WEEK 11 01 – Year II
Living the Law of Love
(1 Kg 21:1-16; Ps 5; Mt 5:38-42)
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“An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.”
Retaliation is one of the world’s oldest and most contagious sins. Did you know that the Old Testament law of “an eye for an eye” was designed to put a limit on retaliation? It is found in Leviticus 24:19-20. According to Fr. Paul Fachet OMI, our local scripture scholar, it is known as the Talion Law, derived from the Latin Talis Qualis. The meaning of that term is “like this, like that.” It has the meaning of tit-for-tat, quid-pro-quo, measure for measure.
That law was designed to put a limit on violence. The goal was to keep people from inflicting more damage than they had received. Actually, it was considered an innovation for its time. It was not uncommon for a victim to over-retaliate against an attacker. If one man killed another man’s brothers, the second man would feel justified in killing the first one’s entire family. So, this law helped keep the cycle of revenge from spiraling into ever-increasing violence.
Gandhi, however, apparently stated that if we lived by that law, the whole world would be blind and toothless! Surely, he appreciated the teachings of Jesus who asks us to go one daring step further. Don’t resist evil, he says, conquer it with good. Choose mercy and love over vengeance. After all, that’s what Jesus did. Consider all the offenses he had to endure, even before his crucifixion. All the lies, the gossip, and the false accusations – even the demands of the crowds, who seemed to have no regard for his needs. Surely these offenses cried out for an answer – for retaliation.
But how did Jesus respond? By loving more. By giving more. By forgiving more – seventy times seven times. There was no resentment in his voice, no reluctance in his miracles, no indignation in his attitude. Even when he was rebuking his opponents or overturning the tables in the Temple, it was out of anguish, not rage. Then came the ultimate show of mercy triumphing over retaliation: on the cross, he cried out, “Father, forgive them” (Lk 23:34).
In the first reading, we are presented with the opposite example in King Ahab, whose greed, abetted by his wife Jezebel, leads to the unjust murder of an innocent man, Naboth the Jezreelite, because he refused to sell his vineyard. Out of fear and intimidation, the leading elders and nobles of the city caved in, bought the lie of two scoundrels, and were complicit in Naboth’s death. This is so often the way of the world, to our present day, where wealth and power often overrule the vulnerable and innocent.
“Turn the other cheek.” “Resist not the evil doer.” These are challenging words. It’s tempting to say that Jesus was just exaggerating, but his own witness tells us otherwise. He really does want us to be as merciful and peace-loving as possible. But he also knows who we are and how far we have to go before we get there. He knows we want to be forgiving, but that there are certain situations that can be very hard for us. So, take heart, try your best, and remember Jesus alone is perfectly merciful. He will never demand “an eye for an eye” from us. No, he chooses to pray “Father, forgive them.” Every time.
The Eucharist is itself an experience of that unconditional love and forgiveness of Jesus, through Word and Sacrament. May our celebration strengthen our faith and empower us to come closer to living out the teachings of Jesus in our lives, to love others as he has loved us.
