Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C: Be merciful as God is

First Reading  1 Samuel 26:2, 7-9,12-13,22-23
David does not kill Saul.

 

Responsorial Psalm  Psalm 103:1-4,8,10,12-13
A song in praise of God's mercy

 

Second Reading 1 Corinthians 15:45-49
As we bear the image of Adam, so we will bear the image of the one from heaven.

Gospel Reading
Luke 6:27-38

Today's gospel reading is a continuation of the teaching that began in last Sunday's gospel. We continue to hear Jesus' Sermon on the Plain. Recall that in Luke's Gospel, this teaching is addressed to Jesus' disciples. This is in contrast to the parallel found in Matthew's Gospel, the Sermon on the Mount, in which Jesus' words are addressed to both the disciples and to the crowds.

These words from Jesus' teaching are familiar to us. They constitute the crux and the challenge of what it means to be a disciple: Love your enemies, turn the other cheek, give to those who ask, do unto others, lend without expecting repayment, judge not lest you be judged.