Word to the Wise
Sunday, February 23, 2025 - 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time - C [omit in 2010]
[1 Sam 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23; 1 Cor 15:45-49; Luke 6:27-38]Just as we have borne the image of the earthly one, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly one. [1 Corinthians] "Do to others as you would have them do to you.' [Luke]
St. Paul gives us a lesson in spiritual anthropology. He contrasts Adam, made in the image and likeness of God, with Christ, the very image in which the human person was created. The first image was made from the clay of the earth. The second comes from the grace of faith and baptism. We reflect both images. The challenge is to reflect more and more the image of Christ.
In the gospel passage from Luke, the Old Testament rule is brought forward by Jesus: "Do to others as you would have them do to you." [Leviticus 19:18] This is a common sense ethic but it receives an important "twist" in the New Testament. When Paul encounters Jesus on the road to Damascus, Jesus answers Paul's question: "Who are you, Sir?" with "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting!" In the scene of the Last Judgment in the Gospel According to Matthew [25:31-45], Jesus says to those being judged: "Amen I say to you, as often as you did it for the least of my brethren, you did it to me!" What we do unto others we do to Christ! And we do in the image of Christ we hope will be done for us in that same image.
The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew and the Sermon on the Plain in Luke present us with a very challenging way of life. As Christians we claim to live according to Jesus' teachings, but our conduct often falls short of the image of Christ that is in us. "Love your enemies!" is often lost in our political culture whether international or national. What we can hope for (and struggle to do) is that the image of Christ will prevail on an individual and collective basis. History tells us that we have a very mixed record. The saints tell us the Lord's challenge is possible. Jesus has not challenged us to the impossible! AMEN
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