Monday of Week 11 of Ordinary Time – First Reading

Commentary on 2 Corinthians 6:1-10

Paul continues the defence of his ministry against critics among the Christians of Corinth and speaks both eloquently and movingly about his experiences in working for the gospel. In the Greek, our reading is a single long sentence, incorporating a quotation from Isaiah. The single main verb is “we entreat” (i.e. “we appeal” or “we beg”). Paul is both exercising his ministry of reconciliation and tells how this ministry is carried out. He is saying that his message of reconciliation is being confirmed by the apostolic experience which he describes here.

He begins by calling on all to work together, and urges them to ensure that the grace and love of God, which Paul has opened up for them, not be received in vain. One way of doing this is to become reconciled once again with him.

He quotes from the prophet Isaiah:

At an acceptable time I have listened to you,
and on a day of salvation I have helped you. (Is 49:8)

Right now, he tells them, is an acceptable time; the day of their salvation is right here. God is bestowing favour and salvation at this very moment as he addresses his letter to them.

The “day of salvation” is a concept that can be found in many parts of Scripture. It is described by the Jerusalem Bible in this way:

There is an intermediary period between the time of Christ’s first coming and his return. This period is the ‘day of salvation’, a time allowed for conversion; it is granted to the ‘remnant’ and to the pagans. Though the duration is uncertain, this time of pilgrimage may be regarded as being short and full of trials and sufferings which are a prelude to the glory to come. The end is at hand, the day approaches, and it is necessary to be on the watch and to use the time well that remains for one’s own salvation and that of others, leaving the final vindication to God. (edited)

By using this time well, Paul is telling the Corinthians they can guarantee their being united forever with their Lord. At the same time he denies that anything he has done or said can be seen as a stumbling block to their faith. He consistently acts in such a way that no fault can be found with his ministry and that of his companions.

…as servants [Greek, diakonoi] of God we have commended ourselves in every way…

And that is confirmed by the list of experiences which follows in the passage.

Among the proofs of their sincerity is the great amount of suffering and trials they willingly undergo for the sake of preaching the Gospel. Nine items are listed:

…afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger…

There is a paradox here in his pointing to experiences that would not normally be regarded as matters of pride and achievement, but appear very differently when seen through the eyes of faith.

In spite of being so badly treated, he and his companions have proved their credentials as servants of God:

…in purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute.

The passage concludes with a series of paradoxes—a series of experiences which could not co-exist except in someone whose life was totally devoted to Christ and his Gospel:

We are treated as impostors and yet are true, as unknown and yet are well known, as dying and look—we are alive, as punished and yet not killed, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing everything.

Paul perceives his life and work as a reflection of Jesus’ own. The last two examples are an illustration of an apparent contradiction that is characteristic of the true apostle. It is something that can be seen in the lives of the saints, people like St Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa).

What we see here is the special Christian experience of finding joy, happiness and peace in the midst of hardship, pain, rejection and persecution. This is the peace that Christ gives and which no human agency can take away. And at the same time, it is the common experience that the living out of the Gospel of love and peace can engender such hatred and violence from those who feel threatened by the vision of Christ.

If we compare ourselves with Paul, most of us will find that we give up too easily in the face of criticism, that we expect that our efforts to be good Christians should be met with admiration and respect. Paul was so convinced of Christ’s love for him that nothing that could happen to him could change that conviction. He found Christ present in every experience and his sufferings were for him only a privileged time to share in the sufferings of his Lord.

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Monday of Week 11 of Ordinary Time – Gospel

Commentary on Matthew 5:38-42

We continue Jesus’ interpretations of some commands of the Mosaic Law as he pushes that law to a higher level of understanding. The saying from the Old Testament, “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” is not, as it may seem to be saying, an encouragement to take revenge. It is part of what is known as the lex talionis (the principle of reciprocal justice), by which punishment for an assault was to be restricted to not more than the suffering experienced. The passage in Exodus says:

If any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. (Ex 21:23-25)

Jesus calls for a very different kind of response. He tells us to offer the “evildoer” no resistance. He makes the famous recommendation to turn the other cheek. As well:

…if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, give your coat as well, and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.

It is unsurprising that even in Christian circles not a great deal of time is given to this text. Is it to be taken literally? Are we really to allow people to walk over us and offer no resistance at all?

I think the answer is both yes and no. For many in our modern world, turning the other cheek seems the ultimate in ‘wimpishness’ and cowardice. Turning the other cheek is certainly not the way of countless ‘heroes’ in our movies and on our TV screens.

But Jesus did. During his trial before the Sanhedrin:

…they spat in his face and struck him, and some slapped him, saying, “Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who is it that struck you?” (Matt 26:67-68)

And Jesus’ response was silence. This was turning the other cheek. Was this weakness or was it strength? Which is easier to do under great provocation: to practise self-restraint and keep one’s dignity or to lash out in retaliation? By lashing out, one comes down to the same level as one’s attackers (of course, this is quite different from self-defence.)

In another account of Jesus’ trial, after having given an answer to a question:

…one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?”
(John 18:22-23)

Jesus replied:

If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?

Here Jesus does respond to the attack but on a totally different level. The physical and unreasonable attack on an unarmed person is actively responded to on the basis of reason and non-violence. Jesus is not a victim here; rather, he is in control. And this is true of the whole experience of the Passion. His executioners behave in the most barbaric way, but Jesus never loses his calm and dignity right up through the very end. And that is why we worship him as our Lord and Master. He asks us to follow in his footsteps.

Revenge, in all its various forms, is the easier way, the more instinctive way, but it is not the better way. The way of ‘intentional’ non-violence (i.e. not passive) is, in the long run, far more productive, far more in keeping with human ideals and human dignity. We have more than enough evidence in our world of the bankruptcy of a never-ending cycle of violence and counter-violence. We see it all over. Yet violence does not pay and revenge is not sweet.

Turning the other cheek is not at all a sign of weakness. It requires great inner strength, self-respect and even respect for the dignity of one’s attacker. Jesus is calling us a long way forward and upward from “an eye for an eye”.

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