Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful

 

 "But I say to you who hear:  Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.  To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other one also.  And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.  Give to everyone who asks of you.  And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.  And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.  

 

"But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For 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?  For even sinners do the same.  And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.  For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.  Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

 

"Judge not, and you shall not be judged.  Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you:  good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.  For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." 

 

- Luke 6:27–38 

 

Yesterday we read that it came to pass in those days that Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.  And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles:  Simon, whom he also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.  And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits.  And they were healed.  And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all. The n He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said:  "Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.  Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.  Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets. But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full, for you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets."

 

  "But I say to you who hear:  Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.  To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other one also.  And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.  Give to everyone who asks of you.  And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.  And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise."  This last verse here is called the "Golden Rule."  My study Bible calls it a minimum of Christian virtue, as it places a person's desire for goodness (which St. Cyril of Alexandria references as "the natural law of self-love") as a basic standard of how to treat others.  It's the first step on the path of perfection of virtue.  

 

 "But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For 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?  For even sinners do the same.  And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.  For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.  Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful."  If the Golden Rule (see verse 31, above) is the "first step" in the perfection of virtue, then here in this last verse ("Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful") Jesus gives us the image of perfection -- where God's mercy, rather than our human desire, is the standard.  

"Judge not, and you shall not be judged.  Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you:  good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.  For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."  My study Bible comments here that mercy precludes human judgment.  Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over are descriptions of how an honest and generous merchant would measure bulk goods.  Flour pressed down, for example, it says, would yield a more generous amount than flour fluffed up.  The blessings which God intends to put into our hearts are more generous than you and I could possibly contain, but this also depends upon the spirit in which we ourselves give and forgive.  

Jesus continues His Sermon on the Plain, found here in Luke's Gospel.  The contents are similar to the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7), but here in Luke the sermon is less extensive.  My study Bible has commented that, indeed, Jesus no doubt taught many similar things on many varied occasions.  In today's reading, Jesus moves from speaking of the beatitudes (or blessings) of the Kingdom, and the woes of those who reject it, to today's focus on the practice of virtue, what it means, and how we do this.  All of this counts as part of the gospel message that Christ's newly-appointed apostles will carry out to the world.  While the blessings and woes of the beginning of the sermon give us distinctive characteristics of the life of the Kingdom, here Jesus' focus shifts to behavior, and a sense of the "rules" by which this Kingdom operates, even for we who seek to live it here in this world.  Jesus teaches, "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you."  In terms of worldly values of the use of coercive and manipulative power, this rule of loving your enemies might seem far from reasonable or efficient.  And yet, we are taught to live this way.  Because God's kingdom exists even in our midst, we might be surprised at the quality of life we receive when we seek to live by God's laws.  As Jesus noted in His "blessings," we might even be persecuted for this Kingdom's sake, or suffer some sort of hostile response from the worldly, but to live in this way has surprising benefits and blessings that accrue to it nonetheless.  It might not jibe with many popular beliefs, but having observed a great deal of life, one might be surprised at just how much benefit seems to amass by following Christ's teachings.  Often it is the extremely selfish who wind up suffering from their own inward directedness, and limited perspective in life.  Short-term gain often does not equal long-term benefit.  Even in purely business relationships, one might be surprised at how much generosity pays off in terms of the capacity to come to terms, and gain agreements.  Moreover, as we're told to love our enemies, it prompts us to consider precisely what love it.  If we make the mistake of thinking that love is merely the coddling or indulgence of our every whim, then we're on the wrong track about practicing love.  Love is desiring the good for others, not helping them along on the road to self-indulgence or destructive personal behaviors.  The practice of love does not compatible with forms of nihilism.  Christ asks us to practice love and mercy in concert with the values of the Kingdom, for life, and for the goodness of life, for the fullness of health of human beings in all dimensions.  To practice kindness is in an important sense to build peace, and to make a space for the truly good and creative to thrive even at times in the midst of enemies.  Perhaps there will always be those who reject this way of life, who resent the joy of the Kingdom, and do not understand the love that Christ preaches.  But let us, at any rate, draw closer to God and to follow Christ's way, as we learn better how to put into practice what He teaches us.  Yes, there will be those from whom we need to withdraw, even to practice virtue when such circumstances arise (for even Christ withdrew from His persecutors in the times this was necessary; see this reading, for example).  Jesus invites us into the generosity of the Kingdom, a different way of living and of perceiving life, but He does not leave us alone in this endeavor, for He is with us, and the Holy Spirit does not leave us.  How we negotiate life in this world, even amongst people who don't share such values, and how we live nevertheless the values of the Kingdom even in this world, is always going to be our mission.  The myriad of saints and of believers over the centuries confirms that there is a wide, wide, ever-expanding array of ways to live His life of the Kingdom even as we live in this world.  For this is our mission, and our gospel to bear into the world. 

 

 

Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you

 

 "But I say to you who hear:  Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.  To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also.  And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.  Give to everyone who asks of you.  And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.  And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.  But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For 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?  For even sinners do the same.  And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.  For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.  Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

"Judge not, and you shall not be judged.  Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you:  good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.  For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

 

- Luke 6:27–38 

 

Yesterday we read that it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.  And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles:  Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.  And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits.  And they were healed.  And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.  Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said:  "Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you,and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.  But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full, for you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.  Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets."

 

  "But I say to you who hear:  Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.  To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also.  And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.  Give to everyone who asks of you.  And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.  And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.  But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For 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?  For even sinners do the same.  And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.  For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.  Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful."  In the middle of this passage, Jesus gives what is called the Golden Rule:  "And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise."   The rest of the teachings here, both before and after, stem from this "rule."  My study Bible calls this Golden Rule a minimum of Christian virtue, as it places humankind's desire for goodness (what St. Cyril of Alexandria calls, "the natural law of self-love") as a basic standard of how to treat others.  It notes that this is simply the first step on the path to the perfection of virtue.  The perfection is found in the final verse in this section:  "Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful."  Here it is God's mercy, rather than the desire of human beings, which is the standard.  

"Judge not, and you shall not be judged.  Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you:  good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.  For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."  My study Bible comments that mercy precludes human judgment.  It says that good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over are descriptions of how an honest and general merchant would measure bulk goods.  Flour pressed down, for example, would yield a more generous amount than flour that is fluffed up.  The blessings which God desires to put into our hearts are more generous than we could contain, however this also depends on the spirit in which we ourselves will give and forgive.  

Forgiveness is not an easy subject.  Certainly we all understand the concept of mercy, for all of us desire mercy on some level in our lives.  We would all desire that others are merciful with us, would not hold our sins and mistakes against us.  Sometimes we speak out of turn, we say the wrong thing, we unintentionally offend, or perhaps we're shorter with others, more abrupt than we intended, but speak out of frustration.  At those times we desire mercy indeed; we'd all like others to overlook our infractions and understand where we're coming from, and listen to what we wished we'd said rather than the poor way it came out.  We all have these experiences, for to be a human being is to be imperfect -- and we do indeed live in an imperfect world, with all kinds of circumstances that make it all the more difficult to maintain equilibrium.  But this is the world into which we're born; even the best of us seem to have bad days.  But what is forgiveness, and how does it work?   Frequently we will hear forgiveness used to mean complete reconciliation, but in my perspective, reconciliation is another step beyond.  In this context in today's reading, of Luke 6:37, there's a different word used for "forgive" than in Matthew 6:12 or Luke 11:4 (in the text of the Lord's Prayer).  But in both cases, the word means to "let go" or to "release."  In this case, it is a word even used in the context of divorce, severing a relationship.  But we're clearly told by Jesus to let go of our grudges, and leave the judgment to God; we're not to seek vengeance.  This does not mean we'll seek to be close to abusers, or even that trust is restored without mutual work.  But it does mean that we let go to God, and we seek God's way to negotiate our world and navigate our way through imperfect relationships, hurts, and even deliberate harms.  We're to positively seek to establish a different kind of relatedness with others in which we put God first, and seek God's way to do so, and that requires of us knowing and understanding God's mercy -- even the mercy we would like extended to us.  There are times in life when we will be called upon to be merciful to those who perhaps have not been merciful to us.  Parents -- even imperfect parents -- become old and infirm, sometimes people who've hurt us will have no one else willing to help when they need it.  At that time we have a choice.  We can find in our hearts the mercy God places there even when there is no rational "justice" involved, for that is a question between ourselves and the Lord, and how God asks us to live as faithful in the Kingdom.  Life changes, and so do we -- and even a kind word may be something God asks us to give to someone who once upon a time didn't have one for us.  It may feel like a sacrifice, we may gain nothing worldly, but we become rich in the Lord.

 

 

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you

 

 "Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.  And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye?  Hypocrite!  First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.  Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  Or what man there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!  Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."

 

- Matthew 7:1–12 

 

In our present readings, we are going through the Sermon on the Mount.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on.  Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value than they?  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  So why do you worry about clothing?  Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  For after all these things the Gentiles seek.  For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." 

 

  "Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you."  My study Bible comments that we will be judged with our own level of judgment because we are guilty of the same things we judge in others (Romans 2:1).  That is, we have also failed in repentance and in fleeing from sin.  It notes that to pass judgment is to assume the authority of God.  The second part of this verse is found also in Mark 4:24 and Luke 6:38, each in a different context, as Jesus no doubt repeated this message many times.  

"And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye?  Hypocrite!  First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."  This is a continuation of Christ's teaching in the previous verse, but with more specifics.  Note how it continues on themes of the "eye" -- and whether or not our eye is "full of light" (Matthew 6:22-23).  Here the plank in one's own eye is that which obstructs true vision.  But Christ is speaking of our own faults and flaws we need to correct, and our "blind eye" toward ourselves.  Moreover, Jesus will recommend mutual correction in the Church.  But how can one become a true  brother and teach others when we have failed to implement our own correction or repentance?

"Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces."  My study Bible says that dogs and swine refer to heathen peoples (Philippians 3:2; Revelation 22:15), but this would also include Jews who do not practice virtue.  According to patristic commentary, "dogs" here is meant to apply to those so immersed in evil that they show no hope of change, and "swine" are images of those who habitually live immoral and impure lives.  The pearls are the inner mysteries of the Christian faith, including the teachings of Christ (Matthew 13:46) and the great sacraments.  My study Bible says that these holy things are restricted from the immoral and unrepentant, not to protect the holy things themselves, for Christ needs no protection.  Instead, we protect those who are faithless from the condemnation that would result from holding God's mysteries in contempt.  Let us also note the context of mutual correction which Jesus discusses above:  while humble correction or teaching can be helpful and instructive, it is wasted on those who cannot value it, who may even in fact respond with vicious hostility.

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  Or what man there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?"  My study Bible explains that the verbs ask, seek, and knock are present progressives.  That is, they convey the teaching that we should "be asking," "be seeking," "be knocking."  There is a synergy here:  our effort is commanded, but not apart from God's immediate help to us.  My study Bible says that we ask in prayer; seek by learning God's truth; and knock by doing God's will.  

"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"  My study Bible comments that Jesus calls human beings evil not in order to condemn the whole human race, but rather to contrast the imperfect goodness that is in people (in other words, our goodness is also mingled with sin) with the perfect goodness of God (see Matthew 19:16-17).  If imperfect and even wicked people can do some good, it notes, all the more will God work perfect good.

"Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."  This is known as the "Golden Rule," and it fulfills the demands of the Law and the Prophets.  As my study Bible importantly notes, it is a practical application of the commandment to love one's neighbor as oneself (Matthew 22:39-40).  This is, it says, a first step in spiritual growth.  The negative form of the Golden Rule was well known in Judaism ("Don't do to others what you don't want them to do to you").  Christ's form is positive:  this is the action that begins to draw us toward God. 

In chapter 18 of St. Matthew's Gospel, Jesus lays out a model for mutual correction in the Church (see Matthew 18:15-17); it's a teaching for what to do with a sinning brother, particularly one who has caused offense.  It's given in the context of Christ's teaching on forgiveness.  When Jesus teaches today that, first, we must not judge, and second we must correct our own flaws before we can helpfully teach others, we see an overarching context of mutual correction or edification, which includes constructive criticism -- and must always be done with love and mercy.  In St. Luke's Gospel, we find the similar teaching of the Golden Rule, "And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise" (Luke 6:31).  On that passage, St. Cyril of Alexandria calls "the natural law of self-love" the basic standard of how we're to treat others.  As Christians, the entirety of today's passage conveys, we're meant to be continually growing.  This is, in effect, the purpose of discipleship.  As Jesus teaches us also to "keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking," He's implying also a hunger and thirst for righteousness, and for the things of God.  For these are the mysteries into which discipleship initiates us and continues to take us more deeply.  To understand one's own errors and make correction is to become capable of helping or teaching others along the way.  But without that effort, we simply judge; we are not practicing mercy, love, or the Golden Rule.  For indeed, if we would desire to excel in real discipleship to Christ, then we might understand how to help others who desire the same thing.  But we shouldn't presume to cast those pearls before people who find no value in such discipleship, as Christ warns us here.  So our growth must be seeded with mercy and kindness, our conduct so -- but the righteousness and love Christ teaches is also meant to be discerning.  It is quite similar to His teaching to the apostles upon sending them out on their first mission:  "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves" (Matthew 10:16).  Let us keep asking, seeking, and knocking to grow in learning Christ's ways of loving righteousness, and in those "good things" God will give to us.

Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets

 

 "Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.  And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is your own eye?  Hypocrite!  First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.  

"Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces. 

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!  Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."

 

- Matthew 7:1-12 

 

Currently we are reading through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7).  In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught, "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value than they?  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  So why do you worry about clothing?  Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'   For after all these things the Gentiles seek.  For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." 

 "Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you."  My study Bible comments that we will be judged with our own level of judgment because we are guilty of the very things we judge in others (Romans 2:1).  We ourselves have failed in repentance and in fleeing from sin.  To pass judgment is to assume God's authority.  Jesus also uses these terms, "with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you," in Mark 4:24 and Luke 6:38.   Each is in a different context, as no doubt Jesus repeated this important message many times.  

"And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is your own eye?  Hypocrite!  First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."   We should remember that this message is directed to those who would be disciples, and regarding the practice of discipleship.  How can one possibly correct or instruct others in spiritual growth unless one already has the rigorous experience of seeing, knowing, and correcting one's own spiritual "blind spots"?  It's also a warning about our own capacity to overlook our own flaws, and an admonition for this kind of self-knowledge and correction.  The language here follows Jesus' earlier teaching, "The lamp of the body is the eye.  If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.  But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.  If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" (see Saturday's reading).  

"Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces."  My study Bible says that dogs and swine are references to heathen peoples (Philippians 3:2; Revelation 22:15), but this would also include Jews who do not practice virtue.  According to patristic sources, "dogs" are those so immersed in evil that they show no hope of change, and "swine" are those who habitually live immoral and impure lives.  The pearls are the inner mysteries of the Christian faith, including Christ's teachings (Matthew 13:46) and the great sacraments.  These holy things, my study Bible explains, are restricted from the immoral and unrepentant, not to protect the holy things themselves, for Christ does not need protection.  Instead, we protect faithless people from the condemnation that would result from holding God's mysteries in contempt.  The words of Christ also warn us about the response of those who cannot or will not understand.  Again, Jesus is still speaking in the context of discipleship, correction, and spiritual growth.

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"  Once more, Jesus is speaking of spiritual growth in discipleship.  My study Bible says that the verbs ask, seek, and knock are present progressives, which can be rendered "be asking," "be seeking," "be knocking."  There is a synergy here, it asks us to note:  our effort is commanded, but never apart from the immediate help of God.  We ask in prayer, we seek by learning God's truth, and we knock by doing God's will.  Here, human beings are called evil not to condemn all, but rather to contrast the imperfect goodness in human beings (where our goodness is also mingled with sin) with the perfect goodness of God (see Matthew 19:16-17).  My study Bible further comments that if imperfect and even wicked people can do some good, all the more will God work perfect good.  

"Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." My study Bible says that this "Golden Rule" fulfills the demands of the Law and the Prophets, and is a practical application of the commandment to love one's neighbor as oneself (Matthew 22:39-40).  It's a first step in spiritual growth.  There is a  negative form of the Golden Rule ("Don't do to others what you don't want them to do to you") which was well known in Judaism.  Christ's form is positive:  this is the action that begins to draw us toward God, my study Bible says.  

This "positive" form of the Golden Rule is illustrated in the parable of the Good Samaritan, found only in Luke's Gospel (Luke 10:25-37).  In that parable, the Samaritan is the one who gives aid and help to the injured Jewish man, and so it is the Samaritan who was his true "neighbor."  In the language of the Gospel, the one who was the true neighbor was the one "who showed mercy" on the hurt man.  So this positive form of the Golden Rule applies to all acts of mercy, of charity, in whatever form that takes.  This ties in Jesus' statement at the beginning of the reading, concerning judgment.  Our positive acts toward others, embodying the things we'd want done for ourselves, become a way to heed Christ's teaching, "For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you."  Interestingly, Jesus also speaks of what we call "projection" in modern psychological terms.  That is, we're blind to our own flaws ("And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is your own eye?"), and we often accuse others of the very same thing we ourselves are doing.  This seems to be particularly true in the public eye, in which it's often observed.  We can see this on the smallest scale, such as an argument between child siblings, to the grandest scale, in which those committing war crimes will often accuse their opponents of the same crime.  Clearly Christ calls us, if we would be His disciples, to do otherwise, and to rise above this common human flaw as part of spiritual discipline.  One thing is certain, Jesus does not entertain those who would claim their character is written in stone or that human nature cannot be changed.  On the contrary, what He teaches is that our own minds are malleable and capable of the greatest transformation, for this indeed is the very essence of salvation, of repentance (in the Greek of the Gospels, the word for repentance literally means "change of mind").  What we are asked by Christ to do then, in our own discipleship, is to be aware of our propensity not simply to overlook or be blind to our own faults, but to project them onto others -- and to do something about that.  We're meant to shift our focus onto ourselves, and instead to follow this positive Golden Rule.   Good judgment, Jesus tells us, is impossible when we have no clear understanding of ourselves and our own faults, and hypocrisy leads to our downfall.  Indeed, the greatest condemnation Jesus gives will be in Matthew 23, when He rails against the religious leadership for their very hypocrisy.   We remember that the word "hypocrite" originally meant "actor" -- the Greek literally meaning "below the mask," as in the masks worn by actors in ancient plays signifying the character they play.  Many today would seem to replace religion as a guiding light for practices of mercy in public life, with the tools of political ideology and persuasion.  Yet there we also observe that many seem to turn a blind eye to the suffering of the powerless even as they pose as champions of enlightened policies and human rights.  So neither blindness to our own shortcomings nor hypocrisy has left the world, and perhaps the modern day power of propaganda and communication technologies make such masks that much more powerful and oppressive. Let us, then, look to our Lord to guide us in our lives, despite the hypocrisy we see.  In such a time, many would say that the light and truth of faith -- which shines from the inside to the outside -- is now more needful than ever.  For where there is hypocrisy there is surely hardness of heart.

Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you

 

 "But I say to you who hear:  Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.  To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also.  And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.  Give to everyone who asks of you.  And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.  And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.  But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For 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?  For even sinners do the same.  And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.  For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.  Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

"Judge not, and you shall not be judged.  Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you:  good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.  For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

 

- Luke 6:27-38 

 

Yesterday we read that it came to pass in those days that Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.  And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles:  Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.  And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits.  And they were healed.  And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.  Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said:  "Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.  Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled.  Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.  Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake.  Rejoice in that day leap for joy!  For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.  But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.  Woe to you who are full, for you shall hunger.  Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets."

 

  "But I say to you who hear:  Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.  To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also.  And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.  Give to everyone who asks of you.  And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.  And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.  But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For 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?  For even sinners do the same.  And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.  For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.  Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful."  My study Bible comments on verse 31 ("And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise") that this "Golden Rule" is a minimum of Christian virtue, as it places our desire for goodness (what is called "the natural law of self-love" by St. Cyril of Alexandria) as a basic standard of how to treat others.  It is but the first step on the path to the perfection of virtue.  This perfection, my study Bible says, is found in verse 36 ("Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful"), where it is God's mercy, rather than the desire of human beings, which is the standard.

"Judge not, and you shall not be judged.  Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you:  good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.  For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."  My study Bible comments that mercy precludes human judgment.  Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over are descriptions of how an honest and generous merchant would measure bulk goods.  Flour pressed down, for example, would yield a more generous amount than flour fluffed up.  The blessings God intends to put into our hearts, my study Bible says, are more generous than we can possibly contain, yet this also depends upon the spirit in which we ourselves give and forgive.

For anyone who has had to cope with cruelty or unfairness, today's teaching by Jesus is particularly difficult and can be met with struggle.  How do we practice mercy to someone who has treated us badly?  Do we open the door to more abuse?  How often do I give someone who asks for something who has no appreciation whatsoever for the gift?  These questions can be asked incessantly.  But I think it is important to take Christ's teaching with a certain frame of mind, a perspective He's sharing with us.  My study Bible's comment that our job is not just to follow our own standard of mercy (what we'd like or how we'd like to be treated), but to aim further -- to find what God would want from us as standard.  I don't believe that the spirit of these teachings includes anything that would encourage abusive or bad behavior.  But it is a teaching which encourages ways to create good community.  One of the oldest problems in Scripture is that of envy, and slander that often goes along with it.  Some scholars suggest that both the Old and New Testaments link envy to a form of idolatry.  In this sense, to be envious (particularly with malice) is to reject the fullness of God's goodness for us, and our reliance upon God.  So envy as a malevolent desire is rooted in a lack of trusting to God's blessings.  Moreover, envy that manifests as withholding good from another is seen as a sort of gatekeeping of God's blessings, an enforced exclusivity that effectively forms a false relationship to God and the abundance of goodness described by Jesus when He says that God is  kind to the unthankful and evil.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches, "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust" (Matthew 5:44-45).  If we look at the definitions for the Greek word translated as "kind" in today's passage (verse 35) perhaps the best one is "gracious."  But this is the kindness of God, so it is always fitting and useful.  We must also take note that this word (χρηστός) is pronounced the same way as the word for Christ, Χριστος,"Christos."  Moreover, God's goodness is that which provides for an ultimate good, God's eternal perspective of salvation.  So when we are kind to those who mistreat us, this isn't an invitation to continue behavior that is surely not beneficial to their salvation, but rather a refraining from doing harm, from taking revenge, a pleasantness that aims to keep peace -- or at least the open door to repentance and salvation.  Sometimes what is fitting and helpful can only come with patience.  St. Augustine comments on this passage:  " A final just vengeance is looked for, that is, the last supreme judgment, only when no chance of correction remains. But now we must be on our guard, more than anything else, not to lose patience in our eagerness to be justified, for patience is to be more highly prized than anything an enemy can take from us against our will" (Augustine, Letter 138).  We're to remember that full justice comes from God, the One upon whom we rely for vengeance.  St. Paul writes to the Romans, "Repay no one evil for evil. Have[a] regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord (Romans 12:17-19; quoting from Deuteronomy 32:35).  When Jesus speaks of refraining from judgment (or perhaps we should say, unrighteous judgment), it is with the clear understanding in mind that the ultimate judgment is God's, so so should we also keep in mind that there is an eternal aim for the highest good.   And again, that brings us back to the virtue of patience.  Ultimately, the good that we give requires reliance on God, the true source of flowing abundance, true Judge, and the source of the virtue we need, the only Giver who can assure us that "with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

 

Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets

 

 "Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.  And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye?  Hypocrite!  First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.  

 

"Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for fish, will he give him a serpent?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!  Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."

 

- Matthew 7:1-12 

 

We are presently reading through the Sermon on the Mount.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught:  "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on.  Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value than they?  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  So why do you worry about clothing?  Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  For after all these things the Gentiles seek.  For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." 

 

"Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.  And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye?  Hypocrite!  First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."  My study Bible comments here that we will be judged with our own level of judgment because we are guilty of the things we judge in others (Romans 2:1).  We ourselves also have failed in repentance and in fleeing from sin.  To pass judgment is to assume God's authority.  The second part of this verse is found in Mark 4:24 and in Luke 6:38, each in a different context; no doubt Christ repeated this particular message many times.  It teaches us, also, how basic this concept is to our faith and our lives.  There is yet another important message here, and that is the means whereby we seek to clarify our own perceptions, to cleanse ourselves of false beliefs and values through repentance, and whether or not we have practiced our own spiritual learning and discipline in order to properly help others.  For without the discernment that only comes from one's own experience of repentance and spiritual growth, one fails to perceive clearly or properly.

 

 "Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces."  My study Bible explains that while dogs and swine would refer to heathen peoples in the context of the time (Philippians 3:2, Revelation 22:15), they also would include Jews who do not practice virtue.  According to patristic literature, "dogs" are those people who are so immersed in evil that they show no hope of change, while "swine" are those who habitually live immoral and impure lives.  Of course through continual evil behavior, this is possible for any one of us.  The pearls are the inner mysteries of the Christian faith, which includes Christ's teachings (Matthew 13:46) and the great sacraments.  These holy things are restricted from the immoral and unrepentant, my study Bible explains, not to protect the holy things themselves, for Christ needs no protection.  Rather, we protect the faithless people from the condemnation that would result from holding God's mysteries in contempt. 

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for fish, will he give him a serpent?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"  My study Bible points out that the verbs ask, seek, and knock are, in the Greek of the Gospel, present progressives.  In other words, Jesus is saying we are to "be asking," "be seeking," and "be knocking."  It asks us to note the synergy:  our effort is commanded, but never apart from the immediate help of God.  We ask in prayer; we seek by learning God's truth; and we knock by doing God's will.  Human beings are called evil here not in order to condemn all of us, but to contrast the imperfect goodness in people (our goodness is also mingled with sin - fallibility and imperfection), with God's perfect goodness (see Matthew 19:16-17).  My study Bible comments that if imperfect and even wicked people can do some good, all the more will God work perfect good.

 

"Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."  This is the "Golden Rule" which fulfills the demands of the Law and the Prophets.  It is also the practical application of the commandment to love one's neighbor as oneself (Matthew 22:39-40).  My study Bible says it is a first step in spiritual growth.  The negative form of the Golden Rule ("Don't do to others what you don't want them to do to you") was well-known in Judaism.  Jesus' form here is positive:  this is the action that begins to draw us toward God (see Luke 6:31).

My study Bible calls the Golden Rule ("Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets") the first step in the road toward God.  That is, when we simply begin to consider treating others as we'd like to be treated, we are making a first start on Christ's road of perfection, of being His disciples.  I daresay there are times when we'll find, in this practice, that there are others who don't like being treated as we'd like to be treated (that is, they don't necessarily want the same things from others that we do), but this becomes part of the learning curve of spiritual discernment and proper boundaries.  It is part of the learning curve of discipleship, even of how to deal with those who don't love or appreciate or treasure the "pearls" that we do.  Nonetheless, that very basic understanding of proper respect for other human beings becomes a first step in the journey of discipleship; it sets out a sense of what we might call boundaries, and lays down a foundation of how we approach Christ and neighbor.  It will teach us also that there are limits to what "doing good" means; what is good to us is not necessarily what others think of as good.  Moreover, it is the first step to discerning those who do not wish to receive the "pearls" which God has given to us.  On another level, it is important to understand that the road to Christ is the long learning curve of love.  What is good for people, what they truly need, may vary from person to person.  Sometimes love asks us to let go; sometimes love is reaching out.  Sometimes love means having to say "no" to what another person wants from us.  All of these things are integral to the spiritual life of discernment, the level of discipleship we have integrated and towards which we wish to move.  Jesus says earlier in today's reading, "First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."  He emphasizes that it is this spiritual experience, this discipleship journey, that makes us qualified to even begin to help another:  not only to recognize the "speck" in another's way of perceiving, but even to understand our own difficulties in perceiving and doing away with the flaws in our ways of seeing, the places where we are blind.  In terms of how we treat others and the Golden Rule, the more blind we are in our own way, the more we seem to project our flaws onto others, and fail to see where we also need change and repentance.  The things we fail to see about ourselves on this road of discipleship become the places where we fail to "change our minds" in repentance, and so to correct our own spiritual sight.  In the midst of all of this, Jesus promises great help:  "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."  We do not do spiritual seeking on our own; the level of change we need is one that is addressed through asking, seeking and knocking.  It is through a life of prayer that God can help us to know our way; this is not a journey that we judge nor undertake ourselves.   It is only God's love -- and the help of Father, Son, and Spirit and the saints and angels with whom we pray -- that can lead us on this journey, teach us, guide us, refine us, and help us to know what we need to cast away.  And this is where real discernment comes in, when we realize our dependency upon God, and that we cannot undertake this journey without the practices of our faith and the loving hand of the Helper (and other helpers) always there, and the communion we find in the great cloud of witnesses, both seen and unseen, by which we are always surrounded.   We are taught to "judge not, that you be not judged.  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you."   It's only with God's help that we can seek good judgment, and discernment -- for everything begins with the Golden Rule.

Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces

 

 "Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.  And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye?  Hypocrite!  First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.  Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.  

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  Or what man is there among you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!  Therefore, whatever you want me to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."

 

- Matthew 7:1-12 

 

We are currently reading through Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5 -7).  In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on.  Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value than they?  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  So why do you worry about clothing?  Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they either toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  Therefore, do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  For after all these things the Gentiles seek.  For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

 

"Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you."  My study Bible comments that we will be judged with our own level of judgment because we are guilty of the very things we judge in others (Romans 2:1).  In modern terms, this is frequently called "projection."  My study Bible adds that we ourselves have failed in repentance and in fleeing from sin.  To pass judgment is to assume God's authority.  The second part of this verse is found in Mark 4:24 and in Luke 6:38, each in a different context, as Christ no doubt repeated this particular message many times.  Let us note also how this teaching ties in with His teaching on the practice of mercy and forgiveness elsewhere in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:7, 6:14-15).

"And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye?  Hypocrite!  First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."  While Jesus' teaching here exemplifies what He has just taught about judgment, and applies in general to our behavior, we may also look at this in the context of discipleship.  Correction is part of discipleship, and mutual correction is a teaching Christ has given to the Church in Matthew 18:15-35 (at the end of which, He repeats His warning about forgiving trespasses found in Matthew 6:14-15).  In that context of mutual correction and discipleship, it is important also to apply what Christ is saying here.  Only with our own experience of correction and growth could we successfully advise another, and with the proper understanding.  The very word in Greek for disciple means "learner," and we must remember that in this context.  Any way we look at it, we see that correction and growth within ourselves (in other words, learning) is the great thing necessary as disciples, and even as potential teachers or help to others who are brothers (and sisters) in the Church.

"Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces."  My study Bible says that dogs and swine refer to heathen peoples (Philippians 3:2, Revelation 22:15), but this would also include Jews who do not practice virtue in the context of Christ's time and place (and audience).  According to the patristic writers, "dogs" are those who are so immersed in evil that they show no hope of change, while "swine" are those who habitually live immoral and impure lives.  The pearls are the inner mysteries of the Christian faith, which include Christ's teachings (Matthew 13:46) and the great sacraments.  These holy things, my study Bible explains, are restricted from the immoral and unrepentant, not to protect the holy things themselves, for Christ needs no protection.  Rather, we protect the faithless people from the condemnation that would result from holding God's mysteries in contempt (see also Luke 23:8-9, in which Jesus did not answer the questions of Herod Antipas).  If we view this verse in the context with the verses above it, we see also that one's "pearls" can also be teaching resulting from the work and spiritual growth of discipleship and personal correction, hard-gained through experience, which would be appropriate to those who truly desire discipleship, but a stark warning about those who do not.

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."  My study Bible points out to us that the verbs ask, seek, and knock are present progressives:  "be asking," "be seeking," "be knocking."  Note the synergy:  our effort is commanded, but never apart from the immediate help of God.  It says that we ask in prayer; seek by learning God's truth; and knock by doing God's will.

 

"Or what man is there among you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"  My study Bible comments that people are called evil not to condemn the whole race of human beings, but rather to contrast the imperfect goodness in people (that is, our goodness is also mixed with sin) with the perfect goodness of God (see Matthew 19:16-17).  It notes that if imperfect and even wicked people can do some good, all the more will God work perfect good.

 

"Therefore, whatever you want me to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."  This "Golden Rule" fulfills the demands of the Law and the Prophets and it is a practical application of the commandment to love one's neighbor as oneself (Matthew 22:39-40).  My study Bible describes it as a first step in spiritual growth.  The negative form of the Golden Rule ("Don't do to others what you don't want them to do to you") was well known in Judaism.  Jesus' form is positive, as with so many of His "proactive" teachings:  this is the action that begins to draw us toward God. 

 

We note how the "Golden Rule" -- "Therefore, whatever you want me to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets" -- gives us a summing up and echo of so many of Jesus' teachings on mercy, on forgiveness, on judgment (as in the first verse in today's reading).  As we noted above, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus applies this teaching explicitly to mercy (Matthew 5:7), to forgiveness (Matthew 6:14-15), and in today's reading, to judgment (see today's first and second verses:  "Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you").   All together, and in varied passages cited by my study Bible in notes on today's reading, Jesus will teach the same thing many times.  But we can see clearly the link between mercy, forgiveness, and good judgment (or, as in today's reading, refraining from bad judgment).  In John 7:24, this teaching becomes more explicit:  "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."  In today's reading, the patristic exegetes remind us that what we so often judge in others are flaws we have in ourselves, and we're reminded that St. Paul explicitly says the same thing in Romans 2:1, where he really spells it out:  "Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things."   Taken altogether, as a whole these statements remind us about discipleship: that it's all about learning, discipline, correction, and growth.  That is, the whole of discipleship is learning to identify and remove that plank that is in our own eye, otherwise we can't really be truly helpful to others.  We'll just continue to project that plank in ourselves (to which we're blind) onto others.  We see this so often in public life that I feel I don't have to point out examples for any reader to know what I'm talking about.  In the context of Christ's clear instructions regarding discipleship under Him, such behavior is a sign of clear immaturity, and in particular, a complete lack of spiritual discipline and experience in that discipline.  The true disciple is not a hypocrite, but rather one who knows and undertakes to grow in spiritual discipline, in self-awareness, and in the correction of one's own flaws.  That true disciple is also one who is aware that as we judge others, so we are judged ourselves.  In action, this deeply implies the practice of the Golden Rule:  "Therefore, whatever you want me to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."  In Luke 6:31, in the Sermon on the Plain, Jesus phrases it this way:  "And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise."  Let us note that if our true desire is for discipleship and growth in Christ's model, with Himself as the life in which we seek to participate, finding our own image in Him, then what we want (a merciful judgment, a lifetime of learning and growth, the good things of God, and good teachings which help us to be corrected in love) is the gift of discipleship.  In that context, this is what we may also seek to offer to others when we profess His teachings.  In this context, however, we must also take to heart as true counsel what He says, not to share our pearls with those who have no use for them, cannot value them, and do not desire them, " lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces."  Those things that are precious pearls, the things that are holy, in Christ's words, are for those who desire to enter into discipleship, who are willing to take on the mantle of learning and growth and loving correction, and as we know from the whole of His teaching and the lives of the apostles and saints uncountable, this naturally includes a willingness to sacrifice and serve in order to fulfill the image in Christ He offers to us -- for the "hand" or "eye" we're asked to separate from ourselves (Matthew 5:29-30) is the flaw that keeps the whole of us from that growth in discipleship.  These all refer to aspects of selfishness or self-centeredness, a spiritual immaturity, that which is not compatible with the things that are holy, the fire of God's mercy and grace.  In all, He offers us a better life, a true focus, a way to go forward in which there is always the work to do which is right in front of us, as He seeks for us to become more like Him, "like God" (Genesis 1:26).  Let us hastily note that Jesus did not suffer fools gladly, and nor did He tolerate hypocrites.  He told the truth, and gave "what for what" when it was necessary.  But always this was in the context of His mission, of what He had to accomplish.  And He invites each of us in to take up that mission, to do what is necessary, to find the big things within us that we're blind to and make correction, to grow in His love and teachings, to challenge our own hypocrisy, and to pay attention to what is our business -- in this sense, it extends to forgetting about the "dogs" and "swine" who have no use for the things that are holy and the pearls of God's beauty, truth, and goodness.  Let us seek to practice what He teaches.

For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you

 

 "But I say to you who hear:  Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.  To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also.  And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.  Give to everyone who asks of you.  And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.  And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.  But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For 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?  For even sinners do the same.  And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.  For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.  Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.  

"Judge not, and you shall not be judged.  Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you:  good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.  For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

 

- Luke 6:27–38 

 

 Yesterday we read that at this time, Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.  And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles:  Simon, whom he also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; Judas the sons of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.  And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits.  And they were healed.  And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.  Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said:  "Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.  Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled.  Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.  Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake.  Rejoice in that day and leap for joy!  For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.  But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.  Woe to you who are full, for you shall hunger.  Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.  Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets."

 

"But I say to you who hear:  Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.  To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also.  And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.  Give to everyone who asks of you.  And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.  And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.   But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For 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?  For even sinners do the same.  And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.  For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.  Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful."  In verse 31, Jesus teaches, "And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise."  This is called the "Golden Rule."  My study bible states that it is a minimum of Christian virtue.  It puts man's desire for goodness, called "the natural law of self-love" by St. Cyril of Alexandria, as a basic standard of how to treat others.  It is simply the first step on the path to the perfection of virtue.  From this verse in the Sermon, Jesus elaborates to lead us to the image of real perfection, where it is God's mercy, rather than the desire of human beings, that becomes the standard:  "Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful."

 

 "Judge not, and you shall not be judged.  Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you:  good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.  For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."  My study bible comments here that mercy precludes human judgment.  Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, it says, are descriptions of how an honest and generous merchant would measure bulk goods.  Flour that is pressed down, for instance, yields a more generous amount that four fluffed up.  The blessings which God intends to put into our hearts are more generous than we can possibly contain, but this also depends on the spirit with which we also give and forgive.

Ultimately, what Jesus is speaking about here is freedom, the true spiritual freedom that God calls us toward.  In releasing ourselves from retribution and vengeance, we are free to seek the guidance of God for how we are going to conduct ourselves in life.  It is a way to be freed from sin and to avoid sin in responding to things that provoke us in life.  Jesus is not saying that we are simply somehow to be victims; rather we should keep in mind His teaching, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin" (John 8:34).  If we feel bound simply by impulses or social pressure for an automatic reflex of revenge, then we are indeed slaves of sin.  We have no freedom in choosing what our own actions will be, and we are bound by whatever our "enemy" does.   Taking it yet another step further, let us imagine that when we choose to give, we freely give, without simply an agenda for awaiting a return.  In such a case, we truly give freely, and we are freed from disappointed expectations and the need to respond.  These are Jesus' spiritual truths that make us free (John 8:31).  It's not too hard to imagine simply choosing to give because we choose to give, and making up our minds that this is the correct decision to take -- come what may the response or lack of it.  As to loving our enemies, this might be a tough one to consider, until we come to terms with what that might mean.  We are taught to pray for our enemies.  But have we considered what it means to live the blessed way of life that Jesus teaches in the Beatitudes, and do we understand that this is spiritual teaching?  If our enemies are engaged in serious spiritual mistakes, are we praying that they continue to do so by praying for their true good?  Just as the blessings of the Kingdom way of life are those which indicate a "heavenly, spiritual exaltation" (in the words of my study bible) and not a purely materialist understanding of the word blessing, so we should understand that the love we practice, and the prayer in which we engage for others, is not about praying that sinful or abusive behavior be rewarded in material terms.  Rather, our highest prayers for ourselves and others are for salvation and redemption, for the true blessings of God's kingdom.  We don't pray for the continued ignorance of those who may exploit or harm.  But Jesus is teaching us to be freed from the worldly obligations that tie us in to obligations that might be harmful for us spiritually.  We give up the "worldly way" for God's guidance and wisdom, and measured and prudent ways to live in this world while we participate in the "Kingdom" way of life.  If this seems complicated, consider the power that is in that freedom, that does not bind itself to respond to every insult, to avenge every debt, to engage every hostile act.  In Christ, we are free to choose what is best instead, to have our hearts as those which serve only God, and are not bound by whatever another person's hostile act may seek to impose upon us.  Finally, we come to the practice of mercy, and the image of our Father in heaven.  To be free enough to practice mercy is indeed the ultimate freedom a human being can know, because it doesn't involve any calculation of retribution or dependence upon the actions of others.  We choose freely to be like our Father.  We decide that judgment involves more than our immediate worldly perspective, but must also include the cosmic spiritual perspective that our faith offers to us.  We might always seek true judgment in discernment and prayer, but we also know that the ultimate Judge is Christ, and so we seek His way.  This is a way of putting God first.  Jesus' teachings for today give us a way to sobriety, intelligence, self-possession, and above all a kind of freedom in which we are not just slaves to the world, but are capable of making better choices and decision for how we will live and act in our world -- how we will practice discernment, our own prudence, and seek Christ in all things.  It is a way to be a full human being, with the dignity that befits one who loves Christ.  Let us consider where He takes us, setting our own hearts and minds free to follow Him, and to know what we are all about.  Christ reminds us that with the same measure we use, it will be measured back to us.  This is a call to conscious choice, and the good judgment that comes with such awareness.