When someone treats us shabbily, probably the most difficult thing any of us can do is to be rich in mercy and kind to that person. Then, too, events sometimes conspire in such ways that the door of revenge opens, providing a wonderful opportunity—what the British call a “delicious” opportunity—to get even with that person.
In today’s first reading, that’s exactly what happened to David.
David’s enemy, Saul the King of Israel, was hunting David down with the intention of killing him to “wipe out the opposition.” David represented a proximate threat to the throne due to his immense popularity among the people of Israel which vastly surpassed the King’s. For this reason, Saul wanted David eliminated.
Apparently, jealousy fueled hatred and, in turn, hatred fueled vengeance. All of that was soon to culminate in David’s murder.
However, events conspired in such ways that opened the door of revenge for David to kill Saul. Thinking this surely was a sign of Divine Providence and being urged on by his henchmen to effect revenge and install himself as Israel’s King, David stunningly “turned the other cheek,” to everyone’s surprise. Not only that. He communicated through an intermediary to the King not only that he had mercifully spared the King’s life but also “I would not harm the LORD’s anointed.”
Many commentators have discussed at some length the immense self-control this unmerited act of mercy and kindness took. These commentators then have offered an important moral lesson: Instead of allowing jealously to fuel hatred and, in turn, allowing hatred to fuel vengeance by acting upon our quite understandable impulses, it’s by having mercy and being kind to those who act shabbily toward us that we demonstrate moral character and grow in holiness of life. All that’s required is to learn to control our words and actions and do so habitually.
While that’s a good and solid moral lesson we should not only learn but also implement in our daily lives, more significant and oftentimes overlooked is David’s statement:
I would not harm the LORD’s anointed.
Rather than judge and execute his sworn enemy, David instructed his aide du camp Abishai:
Do not harm him, for who can lay hands on the LORD’s anointed and remain unpunished….The LORD will reward each man [in this case, King Saul] for his justice and faithfulness.
In this way, David leaves it to God to judge King Saul for his immoral conduct, revealing justice and kindness as the keystones upon which the kingdom of God’s Chosen People is to be constructed.
This statement wasn’t happenstance; instead, it reveals David’s moral character which he forged through his personal experience of God’s mercy and kindness. Don’t forget that David wasn’t just any, average sinner but had committed multiple grievous sins—lust, adultery, theft, and murder, to name just a few.
For each of us, this moral lesson is instructive: We need to recognize others—even those who treat us shabbily—as “the LORD’s anointed.” While that’s difficult enough, we also need to leave it to God to make judgments. In this way, we demonstrate justice and fidelity.
Sure, it’s a difficult struggle to overcome our hurt, anger, and hostility toward those who have wronged us especially when they’ve intentionally wronged us. But as David’s example teaches, it really is possible to reward good for evil. This struggle—to overcome how we feel and to let God judge others—is what develops moral character. But this is only possible if, like David, we’ve first have experienced God’s mercy and kindness. Absent that experience and frequent experience of it, what Jesus taught—“as we forgive those who trespass against us”—represents nothing more than a pious platitude.
Yes, as the Psalmist reminds us, “The LORD is kind and merciful…pardoning all of our iniquities and crowning us with kindness and compassion.” Yet, let us not forget: David had experienced this personally, how God redeemed him from destruction, dealing with him not according to his sins, and not requiting David according to his crimes. Instead, the LORD cast aside David’s transgressions “as far as the east is from the west.”
Far from being a perfect person, David spared Saul’s life and held no malice against him. Yet, what made David “great” is not that God anointed him King of the earthly Kingdom of Israel. No, of far greater value is the object lesson the great King of Israel has given to humanity: Respecting one another as God’s anointed and holding no malice against those who have treated us shabbily will make each of us “great”…in the eternal Kingdom of God. When we’re unfairly treated, our challenge—just as it was for David—is not to allow ourselves to grow weary in doing what’s right but instead striving to treat those folks with unmerited mercy and kindness.
That’s what Jesus taught his disciples in today’s gospel:
Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.
But notice what Jesus then adds:
Give, and gifts will be given to you….For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.
Being rich in mercy and full of compassion—something we hope for, if not expect others to give us—are the gifts that only cost us our pride that we must give away generously to demonstrate justice and fidelity.
“Give nothing,” Jesus is saying, “Don’t expect anything in return.”
That’s the challenge Scripture presents us this week if we’re to wake from being “sleepy” Catholics and become “WOKE” Catholics: To realize those we condemn are the LORD’s anointed.
To this end, at the end of each day this week, conduct a memento mori: Recall an individual who treated you shabbily or irked you in such a way that you weren’t rich in mercy and full of compassion. Next, rather than justify why you have the right to withhold those gifts, recall what Jesus taught:
Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Then, commit yourself to be rich in mercy and kindness during the next day by recalling:
Give, and gifts will be given to you….For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.
That’s what St. Paul told the Corinthians is to live “spiritually”—how “WOKE” Catholics live, no longer living what he called “naturally”—how “sleepy” Catholics live.
This is the new commandment, the one Jesus taught:
Love one another as I have loved you.
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