Measure it rightly (Lk 6:27-38)

The last few lines in a familiar selection from Luke's gospel can be interpreted in both a positive and a negative way.  In a negative way, the message is a stark prediction of dire consequences for those who mistreat others. Layer on the first part of the message and the prediction seems even more ominous: “Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned…For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.” (Lk 6:37-38).  The message is easy enough to understand—we’ll get back the hate and rejection that we foist on others, and we ourselves will stand condemned in the way that we condemn others.

Viewed in a more positive light, however, the message offers a great deal of hope.  The more hopeful part comes when Jesus says, “Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure…overflowing, will be poured into your lap. Forgive and you will be forgiven” (Lk 6:37-38).  In other words, we receive back in full measure the good that we do for others, especially when we show mercy. 

We often interpret this message as a command that Jesus imposes on his followers, when in fact the message is not an imposition but a responsibility and a principle by which to live the Christian life.  And, living by this principle is surely within our power.  Otherwise, Jesus would not have offered the example of one who listens to his commands and acts on them. That is the one who first cleans out his or her own house, for without that step, we cannot remove the log from the other’s eye.

The possibility of this choice is what motivates St. Paul’s instruction in his letter to the Ephesians.  Paul urges us to live in a manner worthy of our calling by deliberately riding ourselves of “all bitterness, fury, anger, and shouting…along with all malice.” Paul tells us to replace these with kindness toward one another, being compassionate and “forgiving one another as God has forgiven us…” (Eph 4:31-32).

These words describe the heart and soul of Jesus’ life and mission.  He went about doing good works born of his love for others and his faithfulness to the will of God.  Jesus even drives out demons and cures physical illness on the Sabbath.  His aim is to show that caring for the physical and spiritual health of others is right regardless of what day it is.  This is the nature of genuine love, and love is the proper motivation for good works. 

But, sometimes, we are weary and tired.  We feel like Job.  Our days are drudgery and our nights are sleepless.  No one shows us any gratitude or appreciation.  No one seems to care.  We are like worker bees with no rest and no hope.  We need physical and spiritual strength to do good works.  Jesus understands this and wants to give us rest.  He invites all who labor and are weary to come to him, for his yoke is easy and his burden is light (Mt 11:27-29). 

Prayer is one way to accept his invitation.  Jesus shows us that prayer is a good way to find the strength we need.  Jesus often prayed in solitude to his Father.  He too needed physical and spiritual strength to carry out the work the Father gave him.  And through these solo prayer sessions with God, Jesus received the strength he needed.  The same holds for us, but how we draw strength from God through prayer we do not know, any more than we know how a tree draws life from the soil in which it is anchored.

There is a passage in the first letter of Timothy that summarizes all of this in a very clear and powerful manner.  That passage reads like this: “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.  Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.  In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life (1 Tim 6:17-19). 

As always, God does not impose.  He asks and we respond.  The question is, how shall we respond, for the measure with which we measure will in return be measured out to us.  God trusts us to make the right measure. 

Heart and soul (Lk 3:15-16, 21-22)

            The baptism of the Lord begins a new kind of life for Jesus.  At his baptism, Jesus gives up his anonymity and takes on his public mission.  The baptism of Jesus is his public anointing to bring about justice and peace. His only motivation in taking on this mission is his love for God and for all that belongs to God.  The heart and soul of his mission is to show that love is a matter of living in a right relationship with God, with all of creation, and with each other.  In carrying out that mission, Jesus proves that love is a matter of justice and the fruit of justice is peace.  This is the peace that Jesus left us, the peace of heart that comes from living the right way. Because we are united to Christ in baptism, justice and peace born of love for others is the heart and soul of our own baptismal call as well.           

            God himself bears witness to this call in the first reading from Isaiah.  In that reading, God testifies on behalf of an unnamed servant, whom He has chosen and anointed with His Spirit to carry out his justice.  On one level, we know that God is testifying about Jesus.  On another level, however, God is also testifying about us.  By virtue of our own baptism, we become followers of Christ and servants of God, chosen by Him and upheld with His Holy Spirit to carry out His mission of justice and peace.            

            Through his own life and mission, Jesus shows us that the servant of justice opens the eyes of the blind and sets captives free.  A true servant of God also lives in peace, neither breaking a bruised reed nor quenching a smoldering wick (Is 42:3), all the while, working quietly without attracting needless attention.  Jesus makes this clear when he goes to the synagogue after his baptism and sojourn in the desert.  Once there, Jesus modestly reveals himself to be the true Servant of Peace and Justice, the Son in whom the Father is well pleased.  This is the new life that Jesus took on with his baptism. 

            For us, baptism also means taking on a new life.  Through baptism, we are consecrated to God in a formal way and anointed to embody the values of Jesus in our own lives, to bear witness in both word and deed to the truth of his message.  Our calling therefore is to seek justice and peace by giving ourselves to each other through ministry in our families, in our faith community, and in society.  With gentleness and patience and without drawing unnecessary attention to ourselves, we heal the bruised reed and protect the smoldering wick; we do not destroy them.

            In Jesus’ time and for us today, the bruised reeds and smoldering wicks are the poor, the outcast, the oppressed, the refugee, and the sinner.  We might think of those who live in darkness as stubborn or arrogant; those who give the appearance of refusing to see the light of truth.  But their stubbornness or arrogance might arise from their fear of others or fear of failure. 

            We often think of prisoners as those who are in jail. Prisoners are also those we hold captive with our criticism, our judgment and condemnation. This might include our children when they do not meet our expectations or follow our advice.  It also might include those who are different from us, the homeless, the foreigner, the immigrant, or the poor. Because these persons do not measure up to our standards, they never escape the captivity of our scrutiny.  In our day, the bruised reed and smoldering wick are our vulnerable brothers and sisters wherever and whenever we meet them. 

            A very human response is to shun those we find different and unacceptable.  Our baptism with Christ, however, calls for a different response.  The example of Christ requires that we not turn our backs on our own.  We give others their just due because they are children of God no less than we are.  In everything we do, our goal is to be like Christ by doing our part to fulfill his mission on earth.  Peter claims that Jesus fulfilled his role in God’s plan by doing good works and healing the afflicted.  God calls all of us to continue that same mission inaugurated by Jesus at his baptism.  In that spirit, we respond to those around us, especially those closest to us, with the love of Christ.  This is our new life in Christ, and it begins with our own baptism.