Gospel: Luke 6:27-38
I have sometimes heard people struggle with today’s Gospel, referencing it as the “Christian doormat theory.” But when you dig deep into what Jesus is saying and draw it together with the first two readings, a much clearer message emerges. Jesus isn’t saying that one should let people walk all over you, use and abuse you. Not at all. There are times when the behavior of another must be called out and challenged. When the behavior we witness/experience is clearly wrong and harmful, we have a moral obligation to speak out and stand up. What Jesus is telling us is that we are to ‘choose our battles’ wisely, know when our reaction is for the good of the other or simply because of our own pride. It is all about choices. We cannot control the behavior of others; we can only control our reaction to those behaviors. That is precisely what David did (1 Samuel 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23) in not taking vengeance on Saul when the opportunity presented itself. It is what Paul reminds us about in 1 Corinthians when he says, “we have borne the image of the earthly one, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly one.” We are called to choose to live out of the image in which we were created. We need to rise above the moment to the grace that is beyond. It reminded me of a t-shirt given to me by a friend. The shirt says: “Let them misunderstand you, judge you, gossip and doubt you. Your worth has already been affirmed by God.” So, the challenge today is to ‘let them’ – to walk away when appropriate, not judge them, not take everything personally, allow them to make and own their own choices, and pray for them. That’s my challenge for today – Let Them.
Blessings,
Sister Danielle Jacob, CSFN
