Cycle A Ordinary Time Week 7 Sunday

Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18 / Psalms 103:1-2, 3-4, 8, 10, 12-1/ 1 Corinthians 3:16-23 / Matthew 5:38-48

Introduction: Immaculeé Ilibagiza

Immaculée Ilibagiza was born in a small village in Rwanda, Africa. In 1994, when she was
home on spring break, the then Hutu president of Rwanda, Juvénal Habyarimana, was
assassinated. In revenge, armed Hutu men went from house to house, slaughtering every person
they found that belonged to their rival tribe—the Tutsi’s. The killing spree lasted three months
and claimed the lives of nearly a million Rwandans.    
Incredibly, Immaculée survived the slaughter. For 91 days, she and seven other women
huddled silently together in a 3 X 4 foot bathroom of a local pastor while hundreds of machete-
wielding killers hunted for them. It was during those endless hours of unspeakable terror that
Immaculee discovered the power of prayer, eventually shedding her fear of death and building a
profound and lasting relationship with God.
Looking back at her experience, she felt anger and resentment destroying her and so she
started praying the rosary. She writes:
I said the Lord's Prayer hundreds of times, hoping to forgive the killers who were
murdering all around me. It was no use—every time I got to the part asking God to
‘forgive those who trespass against us,’ my mouth went dry. I couldn't say the words
because I didn't truly embrace the feeling behind them. My inability to forgive caused me
even greater pain than the anguish I felt in being separated from my family, and it was
worse than the physical torment of being constantly hunted.
When she finally left that bathroom, she learned that a million people had been brutally
massacred which included relatives, friends and neighbors and her entire family, with the
exception of one brother studying abroad, had been.
After the genocide, she was led to the man, now in prison, who had murdered her mother
and brother. He had been one of her neighbors, and the prison staff was prepared to kill him on
her behalf. At that moment, she recalled that while hiding in a small bathroom, she had imagined
killing the Hutus who had done so much evil. Now she had a chance to kill one. However,
despite all she had suffered, she simply said, “I forgive you,” and walked away.
Through her prayer, Immaculée had triumphed over her anger and resentment and found God.
She emerged from her bathroom hideout having discovered the meaning of true unconditional
love—a love so strong she was able seek out and forgive her family’s killers.    
First Reading: Do not let anger take hold of the heart.
In today’s first reading, the Lord commands us: “Be holy, for I, the Lord your God am holy.”
And he even tells us how to be holy: You shall not bear hatred in your heart. When you
reprimand or admonish, do not incur sin. Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against
anybody. You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
In other words, the Lord tells us that holiness is perfecting our love for our neighbor. He
warns us not to let anger take hold of our hearts for hatred kills not only both you and the one
you hate.
But the Lord does not tell us not to get angry. Anger is an emotion you cannot control. But
what he tells us is not to let the anger get into your heart and into your love for the person
who is upsetting you.
 The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines anger as “An emotion which is not in itself
wrong, but which, when it is not controlled by reason or hardens into resentment and hate,
becomes one of the seven capital sins.” A capital sin is a mortal sin: a sin that kills the spirit
which may eventually lead to spiritual death.
Thus, if you need to tell someone that they have acted wrongly, it should be in the spirit of
fraternal correction. The intention must be to challenge the other to become better, not to
hurt. Fraternal correction is helping your brother or sister see the wrong they have done so that
they can become better. And grudges and a desire for revenge are a sign that you have let
something upsetting creep into your heart and blemish your love for that person.
And in today’s gospel, Jesus reminds us of what must be the mark of a true Christian: turning
the other cheek. He invites us: “Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” And how
do we do this?
 NO TO “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” Say no to revenge; forgive instead.
When you are struck on the cheek, offer the other cheek.
 NO TO “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” Rather, love your neighbor
as yourself. Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
Many of us may find this difficult to live out because for us meekness is often considered a
weakness. But meakness actually involves a very virtuous effort to choose not to strike, or even
dislike, the one who has struck you; to give your time and possessions when someone doesn’t
have a right to them; or to go out of your way beyond what any reasonable person would expect.
Today, we are invited to be holy just like God who is holy, to be perfect just like the Lord
God is perfect. In other words, we are asked to make our love for others perfect and holy. Love
like the Lord loves: everyone, without prejudice to anyone: “Your heavenly Father . . . makes
his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.”
And if you still find it difficult to love, today’s psalm invites us to see hothe Lord kis kind and
merciful to you. He tell us not to forget not all his benefits and blessings, pardons all your
shortcomings, heals you of your weaknesses, crowns you with kindness and compassion, slow
to anger and abounding in kindness. He deals with us not according to our sins. And if he can be
kind a merciful to a sinner like you, can you not be kind and merciful to a fellow sinner? Love
the way the Lord has loved you, that is the invitation to each one of us.

The salvation of this human world lies nowhere else than in the
human heart, in the human power to reflect, in human meekness
and human responsibility.
Vaclav Havel