Homily: Matthew 5: 38-48.
Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time: 19 February 2017
Father Kevin McDonough
Years ago a friend told me that he hated his boss. I tried to laugh it off, but my friend was more honest. He said that the hatred was killing him: he could not sleep at night and barely could eat. What could he do?
Today’s Gospel reading came into focus. I coached my friend in how to pray for the person he hated. And what powerful results took place. A few months later my friend was surprised to find himself eating normally, sleeping at night, and interacting with his boss without pain. “I no longer hate him”, he told me. And a few months thereafter my friend, amazed, recounted how his boss had sought him out. The boss was being disciplined for widespread mistreatment of his subordinates, and he knew he was in trouble. Would my friend help him, the boss asked. By the power of prayer for one’s enemy, my friend was changed from a helpless victim into a generous helper.
I have been thinking about that friend this week. A mom from our parish told me about a run-in she just had in a grocery store. She was waiting in the check-out line with a cartful of groceries to feed the two toddlers with her. Someone joined the line behind her and, noticing the volume of her purchases, began to curse loudly to others about the dirty foreigner. I asked the parishioner-mom, who by the way is perfectly bilingual and just as much an American native and citizen as is my own mom, how she handled the harassment. “I prayed for her”, she calmly replied.
And then on Thursday I was changed from observer to participant. I sat with another mom as she described listening over the phone to her son’s kidnapping. Shortly before, the Twin Cities business where he was working was robbed. When the police came, they not only investigated the crime, but also checked the identification of the employees. He was arrested. Although he has lived in the US for all but the first three months of his 27 years, he is undocumented. He was quickly deported. And then, as he crossed the border, he and dozens of other deportees were kidnapped by a Mexican gang. He had the presence of mind to press his mom’s number on his cell phone as armed men lined them up – and she listened in helpless horror as he was taken. Perhaps you can imagine the waves of hatred that came over me: hatred for the violent gangsters in Mexico; hatred for American politicians who stoke irrational fear and drive a young member of our parish into a no-man’s-land of gangsters and drive his mom into desperation.
It took me nearly a day, but I realized that I too have to bring prayer to my hatred. I am praying for short-sighted, manipulative leaders on both sides of the border. If I am to make any contribution in this challenging time, my own heart has to be right. And the humanizing changes necessary will happen through God’s grace, not through my anger.
I am telling you about this not only because of today’s Gospel. This is also the weekend on which we launch “Standing Together”: an effort to help protect fellow members of Incarnation. The various steps we are taking are self-explanatory. I am asking the ushers to distribute a single-page overview of Standing Together. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
And even more so, I ask your prayer. And that includes prayer for those you consider your enemy. Whether you think that the enemy is the young mom in the check-out line or her critic, the political leaders or the preachers who criticize them – please pray! Prayer for one’s enemies is powerful. By God’s powerful love, we shall be saved.
Prédica: Mateo 5: 38-48.
7º Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario: 19 febrero 2017
Padre Kevin McDonough
Una de las mejores frases que mi padre solía decirme fue: “Chico, acabas de saltar una oportunidad