First Reading (1Sm 26,2.7-9.12-13.22-23).
Reading of the First Book of Samuel.
In those days, Saul set out and went down into the desert of Ziph. He was accompanied by three thousand men, chosen from Israel, to look for David in the desert of Ziph. David and Abishai went to the camp at night, and found Saul lying and sleeping in the middle of the barricades, with his spear at his head, stuck in the ground. Abner and his soldiers slept around him. Abishai said to David: “God has delivered your enemy into your hands today. I will pin him to the ground with a spear, and there will be no need to repeat the blow.” But David replied, “Do not kill him! For who could stretch out his hand against the Lord’s anointed and go unpunished?” Then David took the spear and the jar of water that were at Saul’s bedside, and they went away. No one saw them, no one realized anything, no one woke up, because everyone was sleeping in a deep sleep that the Lord had sent them. David crossed to the other side, stopped at the top of the mountain, far away, leaving a large space between them. And David said, “Here is the king’s spear. Let one of your servants come and get it! The Lord will repay each one according to his righteousness and his faithfulness. For he delivered you into my power today, but I did not I wanted to stretch out my hand against the Lord’s anointed.”
– Word of the Lord.
– Thank God.
Second Reading (1Cor 15,45-49).
Reading of the First Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians.
Brothers: The first man, Adam, “was a living being.” The second Adam is a life-giving spirit. Not the spiritual man came first, but the natural man; Then came the spiritual man. The first man, taken from the earth, is earthly; the second man comes from heaven. As the earthly man was, so are the earthly people; and as the heavenly man is, so will the heavenly people be. And as we already reflect the image of the earthly man, so we will also reflect the image of the heavenly man.
– Word of the Lord.
– Thank God.
Gospel (Luke 6,27-38).
Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke.
— Glory to you, Lord.
At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: “To you who listen to me, I say: Love your enemies and do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who slander you. If anyone gives you If someone takes your cloak, let him take your tunic, give it to whoever asks you, and if someone takes away what it is. yours, do not ask for it to be returned. What you want others to do to you, do it to them too. If you love only those who love you, what reward will you have? good only to those who do good to you, what reward will you have? Even sinners do this. And if you lend only to those from whom you expect to receive, what reward will you have? sinners, to receive back the same amount. Instead, love your enemies, do good and lend without expecting anything in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because God is also kind to you. with the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge and you will not be judged; do not condemn and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be placed in your lap; for with the same measure with which you measure others, you will also be measured.”
— Word of Salvation.
— Glory to you, Lord.
Reflecting the Word of God
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we are invited to reflect on God’s profound call to live the radicality of love, peace and justice in our lives. Today’s readings tell us about the inner struggle, the transforming power of Christ and the way we should act in the world. So let’s dive into what God has to say to us and how He calls us to live authentically and faithfully to His love.
In the first reading, taken from the book of 1 Samuel, we see King David in a situation of great tension. Saul, who was once God’s chosen king, now seeks the life of David, who had already been anointed as the future king of Israel. David is in a position where he could take revenge on Saul, who, in envy and anger, persecutes him. But what does David do? He chooses mercy and trust in God.
David, with a small number of his men, invades Saul’s camp, while he is sleeping soundly, surrounded by soldiers. David has the opportunity to kill him, but instead he approaches and takes Saul’s spear and water skin. He could have destroyed Saul, but he chooses not to. He says, “Who can stretch out his hand against the Lord’s anointed and go unpunished?” (1Sm 26,9). David teaches us a lesson of great depth here: revenge is not God’s way. God’s justice is not our justice, and mercy is always the right response, even when the temptation to repay evil for evil is great. David recognizes that his trust is not in his strength, but in God, who is just and will do justice in His time.
This episode reminds us of many situations in everyday life, doesn’t it? How many times are we tempted to repay the harm done to us, to return one insult for another, to seek revenge when we have been hurt? But the Gospel message and the story of David remind us that true victory comes when we choose mercy and trust in God, not revenge. In the end, God always triumphs, and that is what we must trust. Mercy is the key to true peace.
In the second reading, Saint Paul tells us about the resurrection and about the new Adam, who is Christ. He tells us that “the first man, Adam, became a living being; the last Adam, Christ, became a life-giving spirit” (1 Cor 15:45). The first Adam, in his disobedience, brought sin and death into the world. Christ, the new Adam, through His obedience to the Father’s will, brings life, salvation and hope. Paul teaches us that, just as all die because of Adam, all will be made alive in Christ.
Here, we are called to reflect on the great transformation that Christ brings about in our lives. Through Him, we are made new creatures. We are called to live differently, no longer according to the flesh and sin, but according to the Spirit, always seeking what belongs to God. In Christ, we have a new identity, a new life, that allows us to not just live, but to live abundantly. What does this mean for us? It means that we must not cling to the old man, to sin and failures, but to put on the new man, which is Christ, and seek to live according to His teachings, living in communion with the Holy Spirit.
Now, we come to the Gospel of Luke, where Jesus gives us one of the most challenging passages in all of His preaching. He tells us: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who slander you” (Luke 6:27-28). These words of Jesus are a true scandal for our human heart. He challenges us to do the opposite of what would come naturally to us. The world teaches us to hate our enemies, to repay evil for evil, to fight for our own justice, but Jesus teaches us a radically different path.
He calls us to love, to pray, to bless, to do good, even to those who harm us. He calls us to a life of forgiveness, of mercy, of generosity, which is totally contrary to the standards of the world. Jesus shows us that, by doing good, without expecting anything in return, we are imitating God himself, who makes the sun shine on the good and the bad, and sends rain on the just and unjust. God’s love is impartial, it is unconditional, and that is what He expects from us.
And how can we live this in our daily lives? How can we love those who offend us, who reject us, who treat us badly? The secret is to look at the example of Christ. He loved until the end, giving His life on the cross for all of us. And it is through this surrender that we are transformed, empowered to love in a supernatural way. Forgiveness is the key that opens the heart to true freedom. The radical love of Christ is the only path to true peace.
Jesus continues in His message, saying: “Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be placed in your lap” (Luke 6:38). He teaches us that the generosity we show to others will be multiplied. If we are generous, if we forgive, if we love without measure, the Lord will do the same for us. He does not leave us unrewarded, but blesses us abundantly.
My brothers and sisters, today we are called to reflect deeply on how we are living God’s love in our lives. Jesus asks us to love radically, to forgive without limits, to be generous without expecting anything in return. He challenges us to be light in the world, to reflect His unconditional love, even in a world that is so often marked by violence, indifference and selfishness.
Our world needs this transformative love. We need to be like David, who chose mercy, and like Christ, who loved to the end. It’s not easy, but it’s possible, because Christ empowers us. He calls us to live like the new Adam, to live by grace, to be His imitators in the world. May we thus be witnesses of His mercy and His love in everything we do.
Let us, then, ask God for the grace to live this radical nature of love in our lives. May we be light in the world, loving our enemies, forgiving those who offend us, and being generous to everyone. May we, in our daily lives, be a reflection of Christ’s love, doing good, praying for others, and living the peace that only He can give us. Amen.
