SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR C (23RD FEBRUARY, 2025)

This is your usual programme: 'GOD IS WITH YOU' by your humble servant, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Bartholomew Koroma, CSSp. A member of the Congregation of the Holy Ghost Fathers and Brothers commonly known as Spiritans. Our First Reading today is coming from 1 Samuel 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23. This reading explores the complex relationship between David and Saul. Saul, despite previously being shown mercy by David in 1 Samuel 24, continues his hunt to kill David. This is as a result of jealousy and fear of David’s rising popularity; revealing his unwillingness to submit to God’s plan for David’s kingship. The Second reading is taking from 1 Corinthians 15:45-49. This reading is part of Paul’s discussion about the resurrection and the nature of the resurrected body. It contrasts the first Adam, through whom death entered the world, with the last Adam (Jesus Christ), through whom resurrection and eternal life are made possible. It is a complex passage that integrates philosophical influences and theological insights to articulate Paul's vision of resurrection and eschatological transformation. Here, Paul provides insights into the nature of the resurrection body, though it does not offer a definitive statement. Our Gospel is taking from Luke 6:27-38. This reading highlights the teachings of Jesus on love, mercy, and non-retaliation. This passage is often examined to understand the ethical and moral imperatives that Jesus imparted to his followers, particularly in the context of loving one's enemies and practicing compassion; as central to Christian identity. This teaching is radical because it goes against the common cultural norms of seeking retaliation or harbouring hatred toward enemies found in earlier Jewish texts. This love Jesus is talking about is a self-sacrificial love, the same love that God shows to humanity. This is not a mere emotional feeling but an active choice to seek the good of others, even those who may actively oppose or harm us.