20251006 SHOWING MAGNANIMITY TO OUR ENEMIES
06 October 2025, Monday, 27th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Jonah 1:1-2:1,11 |
Jonah flees from his call
The word of the Lord was addressed to Jonah son of Amittai:
‘Up!’ he said ‘Go to Nineveh, the great city, and inform them that their wickedness has become known to me.’ Jonah decided to run away from the Lord, and to go to Tarshish. He went down to Joppa and found a ship bound for Tarshish; he paid his fare and went aboard, to go with them to Tarshish, to get away from the Lord. But the Lord unleashed a violent wind on the sea, and there was such a great storm at sea that the ship threatened to break up. The sailors took fright, and each of them called on his own god, and to lighten the ship they threw the cargo overboard. Jonah, however, had gone below and lain down in the hold and fallen fast asleep. The boatswain came upon him and said, ‘What do you mean by sleeping? Get up! Call on your god! Perhaps he will spare us a thought, and not leave us to die.’ Then they said to each other, ‘Come on, let us draw lots to find out who is responsible for bringing this evil on us.’ So they cast lots, and the lot fell to Jonah. Then they said to him, ‘Tell us, what is your business? Where do you come from? What is your country? What is your nationality?’ He replied, ‘I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.’ The sailors were seized with terror at this and said, ‘What have you done?’ They knew that he was trying to escape from the Lord, because he had told them so. They then said, ‘What are we to do with you, to make the sea grow calm for us?’ For the sea was growing rougher and rougher. He replied, ‘Take me and throw me into the sea, and then it will grow calm for you. For I can see it is my fault this violent storm has happened to you.’ The sailors rowed hard in an effort to reach the shore, but in vain, since the sea grew still rougher for them. They then called on the Lord and said, ‘O Lord, do not let us perish for taking this man’s life; do not hold us guilty of innocent blood; for you, the Lord, have acted as you have thought right.’ And taking hold of Jonah they threw him into the sea; and the sea grew calm again. At this the men were seized with dread of the Lord; they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.
The Lord had arranged that a great fish should be there to swallow Jonah; and Jonah remained in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights. The Lord spoke to the fish, which then vomited Jonah on to the shore.
Responsorial Psalm | Jonah 2:3-5,8 |
You lifted my life from the pit, O Lord.
Out of my distress I cried to the Lord
and he answered me;
from the belly of Sheol I cried,
and you have heard my voice.
You lifted my life from the pit, O Lord.
You cast me into the abyss, into the heart of the sea,
and the flood surrounded me.
All your waves, your billows,
washed over me.
You lifted my life from the pit, O Lord.
And I said: I am cast out
from your sight.
How shall I ever look again
on your holy Temple?
You lifted my life from the pit, O Lord.
While my soul was fainting within me,
I remembered the Lord,
and my prayer came before you
into your holy Temple.
You lifted my life from the pit, O Lord.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Jn6:63,68 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life;
you have the message of eternal life.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn13:34 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I give you a new commandment:
love one another just as I have loved you,
says the Lord.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 10:25-37 |
The good Samaritan
There was a lawyer who, to disconcert Jesus, stood up and said to him, ‘Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the Law? What do you read there?’ He replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.’ ‘You have answered right,’ said Jesus ‘do this and life is yours.’
But the man was anxious to justify himself and said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’ Jesus replied, ‘A man was once on his way down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of brigands; they took all he had, beat him and then made off, leaving him half dead. Now a priest happened to be travelling down the same road, but when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. In the same way a Levite who came to the place saw him, and passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan traveller who came upon him was moved with compassion when he saw him. He went up and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. He then lifted him on to his own mount, carried him to the inn and looked after him. Next day, he took out two denarii and handed them to the innkeeper. “Look after him,” he said “and on my way back I will make good any extra expense you have.” Which of these three, do you think, proved himself a neighbour to the man who fell into the brigands‘ hands?’ ‘The one who took pity on him’ he replied. Jesus said to him, ‘Go, and do the same yourself.’
SHOWING MAGNANIMITY TO OUR ENEMIES
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [JON 1:1 – 2:1, 11; JON 2:3-5, 8; LK 10:25-37 ]
Today’s first reading from the book of Jonah is more than just the story of a prophet who disobeyed the call of God and ran away to do his own bidding. Instead of going eastward to the great city of Nineveh to preach repentance, he went westward to Tarshish. What was the real crux of Jonah’s disobedience? He could not accept that he was called to save the people of Nineveh, the most important city – and later the capital – of Assyria, from the wrath of God.
According to the prophet Nahum, Nineveh was a powerful yet wicked and godless city. They practiced idolatry, prostitution, and witchcraft. The rich exploited the poor and helpless. Their cruelty towards their enemies was notorious. Above all, they posed a threat to the very existence of Israel, for their empire was growing in might and strength. Jonah, like the rest of the Israelites, knew of the atrocities committed by the Assyrians and hated them. Understandably, the last thing he wanted was to save the Ninevites. In fact, he would have been happier if God’s threats of punishment against them had come true. Deep in his heart, he wanted them to suffer. He feared that if they repented, they would be spared. Jonah’s selfishness mirrored Israel’s exclusivity in religion: they did not want non-Israelites to receive God’s mercy, love, or favour.
Isn’t this how we regard our enemies and those we do not like? Many of us curse our enemies and those who do not treat us well. We wish them evil and hope they will suffer the consequences of their sins. Even if we do not curse them outright, we may secretly take pleasure when misfortune befalls them. In our hearts, we may believe they are merely “getting what they deserve” and that God is vindicating us. Even if we do not rejoice at their suffering, few of us truly desire blessings for our enemies. We might even feel angry if God were to bless them more than us. Least of all, few of us would pray for their well-being. Why should we wish them happiness when they cause us hurt? In this, we are no different from Jonah, and so we can understand his struggle when God sent him to save those he despised.
It is in this light that we can better appreciate the parable of the Good Samaritan in today’s Gospel. The scribe’s question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” captures the heart of the day’s readings. To inherit eternal life is to share in the life of God – His love and His mercy. Hence, Jesus asked him, “What is written in the Law? What do you read there?” As a scribe, he knew the answer: “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.” Jesus affirmed him, saying, “You have answered right; do this and life is yours.” In other words, love of God, neighbour, and self is the essence of the Law. To love is already to share in God’s life, a foretaste of eternal life.
Yet the scribe, “anxious to justify himself,” asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?” Deep down, he knew that something was not quite right. For the Jews, “neighbour” typically referred only to their own kind – fellow Israelites who loved God. He wanted Jesus’ confirmation that this understanding was sufficient. He could not bear the thought of extending love to Gentiles.
But Jesus responded with the story of the Good Samaritan to illustrate what it means to love our neighbour and who this neighbour is.We know the deep hostility between Jews and Samaritans. The Jews considered themselves the true descendants of Abraham, whereas the Samaritans – descendants of Jews who intermarried with the natives – were despised and considered unclean. Yet, ironically, it was the Samaritan who came to the aid of the man who “was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho” and fell into the hands of robbers. All his fellow Jews ignored him, even though he was left naked and badly wounded. But the Samaritan was “moved with compassion when he saw him. He then lifted him on to his own mount, carried him to the inn and looked after him.” His kindness and generosity extended beyond his own people – even to an enemy – simply because he saw someone in need.
The lesson is clear: we cannot justify withholding love from anyone, especially when he is in need, regardless of race, language, or culture. Excuses only reveal our lack of love and generosity. The scribe could not come to terms with the good deed of the Samaritan, for he could not even bring himself to name him. To Jesus’ question: “Which of these three, do you think, proved himself a neighbour to the man who fell into the brigands’ hands?” he merely replied, “The one who took pity on him.” This was precisely Jonah’s struggle: he could not bring himself to help or pray for his enemies.
Jesus, however, in no uncertain terms says to us all: “Go, and do the same yourself.” If we truly desire to share in the life of God, then we must imitate Him in mercy and love. The truth is that no one deserves God’s love – not the Assyrians, not the Jews, not even us. Yet God loves all freely and graciously. He showed mercy even to Jonah by sending a big fish to save him. In the responsorial psalm, Jonah expressed his gratitude to God for his mercy and forgiveness: “Out of my distress I cried to the Lord and he answered me; from the belly of Sheol I cried, and you have heard my voice.”
So too, we must be grateful. Jesus died for us not because we are good. As St Paul reminds us: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God–not because of works, lest any man should boast.” (Eph 2:8-9) And to Timothy, he reminded him of his calling when he wrote that God “saved us and called us with a holy calling, not in virtue of our works but in virtue of his own purpose and grace which he gave us in Christ Jesus ages ago.” (2 Tim 1:9) The blessings we have received are never for ourselves alone; they are entrusted to us for a missionary purpose – to share God’s love with others.
There is also a warning. If we disobey God and follow our own selfish ways, we will bring harm not only to ourselves but also to others.Jonah, by fleeing from God, endangered the lives of those who were with him in the boat. Likewise, when we reject the call of God and refuse to obey Him, we can cause others to suffer with us, especially our loved ones. When God gives us the direction, we must be docile and submit to His will. Ultimately, we cannot escape His divine will. Jonah learned this painfully, enduring unnecessary hardship before submitting to God. It is always better to submit to God’s will than to resist it and bring greater misery upon ourselves.
Let us seek God’s love and mercy today by not running away from Him. Like Jonah, let us return to God and stop walking in the opposite direction. If we desire to share in His love and mercy, then we are called to act like Him and in turn we will receive His mercy. St James wrote, “Talk and behave like people who are going to be judged by the law of freedom, because there will be judgment without mercy for those who have not been merciful themselves; but the merciful need have no fear of judgement.” (Jms 2:12f) If we are merciful towards others, we need not fear God’s judgment. For as we judge and treat others, so will God judge and treat us. If we fear the judgment of God it is because we think that God will be harsh towards us, just as we act harshly towards others. Let us learn from the pagans, the Ninevites and the Good Samaritan what it means to love God – through repentance and mercy. For indeed, they proved themselves more merciful and sincere than Jonah and many of the Jews.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment