HOMILY – 7^TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME

ST. ANTHONY CHURCH & FURMAN UNIVERSITY

FEBRUARY 18, 2007  -  8 & 11AM  & 8:30PM MASSES

May the Lord give us His peace.

I will not need a second thrust.  A second person.  A second chance.

I will not need a second thrust.  There he is, David stands over Saul, his jealousy making him crazy.  Until Abishai surpasses him.  “Let me nail him to the ground with one thrust of the spear, I will not need a second thrust!”  David coming to his senses knows that Saul is an anointed king and killing him will bring woe from God.  So David spares Saul, shouting down, “I came into your camp, stood at your head, stole your spear and water jug – here it is.”  As if to say, “I win – on two counts – finding and sparing you.”

Is that the way it goes with us?  We are hurt by someone, cut off in a car, jilted for a proposed meeting, left behind, someone trumps us at work, in sports, an argument, a date, trumps us in being the favorite of our parents.  Do we react, “Gimme a spear, “I will not need a second thrust?”  There is a lot to be said for David’s decision that night in the camp.  It is tempered, clever, righteous.  It shows David a big man.  But

back to the question, would you like a second thrust?  Is revenge sweet?  Must you have the last word thrusted through?  Your mama!  Infinity!  Hmm.  David cannot harm God’s anointed as he believed it wouldn’t please God.  Seeing all as anointed by Christ’s blood can we harm them?  Or is there some healthy fear of God in us that can “David the situation.”  Perhaps we will not choose even a 1^st thrust.

A second person.  Paul continues his attempts at showing the Corinthians what Resurrection from the dead means.  In this case he distinguishes the flesh from the Spirit.  Not to separate what God has joined in Jesus, but rather to show the progression - from the physical experience as first and only, to where the physical experience the spiritual, and serves it.  We can become a second sort of person.

This latter person, (the spirit and body in-sync) makes a better image of the heavenly being God intends us to be.  So what?  Theological mumbo-jumbo-laya.

Yet if we spoke last week of being under construction, now we know what to build.

A second person, a temple for the Holy Spirit, a dwelling place for God.  We make room, on a solid foundation, the love of Jesus, and provide shelter and warmth for the broken of our time and place.  We become heavenly, a second sort of person.

A second chance.  You get battered about.  People test your patience, mine.  Folks behavior can be ungrateful and selfish.  It can become brutal to the point where you say um-um, no second chance.  Yet God, toward you, me, after huge tests of God’s patience says, “Let’s try again.”  A second chance, third, fourth, 70 times 7 chance.

God doesn’t seem to base His life and love on ours, or our lack of it.  Jesus asks us,

“Do not base your love on other’s love for you, or their lack of it.  Base it on His.”

If we read the Gospel closely, God is asking us not to base our behavior on the friendly one either!  Should we love because things are clicking?  God says no.

In a nut shell, God is saying don’t react to anything but me.   Love because I am loving you.  Period.

We may instead choose the 2^nd thrust. 

We may choose to remain flesh only, flesh dominated, we may even choose to base our love on mutuality. 

And we might die of thrust, flesh, false hope. 

Instead, hold up an unbloodied spear,

hold up a hope for progress in the Spirit,

and live from steady, full, gracious, forgiving love.

That can be enough for you and me.