Going the Extra Mile
Feb. 19, 2023 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time – A
by Dcn. Bob Bonomi
Will you go the Extra Mile for Jesus?
In business, especially in the service industry, we use the idiomatic phrase “going the extra mile” whenever someone goes above and beyond what is expected of them, makes a bigger effort than is required of them, or when they exert special energy in order to accomplish something. Most people today don’t realize that the phrase comes from today’s Gospel.
At the time of Jesus, under Roman law a centurion passing a Jew could press him into service to carry his pack a mile. After a mile, the soldier had to pick up the load himself or find another person to shoulder the load. So when Jesus states one should serve for twice as far as he was required to do, it can be seen as an extension of mercy consistent with the rest of his admonitions today.
In fact, all of his admonitions have to do with going above and beyond revenge and justice to show mercy:
• Turn the other cheek
• Hand over your cloak as well as your tunic
• Give to one who asks
• Love your enemies
Some might think that Jesus is changing the existing Jewish law whenever he says, “But I SAY TO YOU …” Is he? Not really.
For example, Jesus refers to Leviticus 24:20 which says: “Limb for limb, eye for eye, tooth for tooth!” This commandment was actually meant to limit revenge – that punishment should not exceed the injury done. That’s the Law of Justice. The punishment must fit the crime.
But do you know what you will get with “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.”? According to Tevye, the Jewish dairyman in the movie “Fiddler on the Roof”, you will get a whole world that is blind and toothless!
The Law of Justice did not fulfill the commandments that we heard in our first reading, also from Leviticus; “Do not seek revenge or hold a grudge. Do not hate your brother or sister. Be Holy as the Lord your God is Holy. Love your neighbor.” Jesus refers to this command when he talks about the two greatest commandments: Love God and Love your Neighbor.
Those are the Laws of Mercy.
But that is really hard to accept in today’s society. We tend to equate justice with equal punishment – the “eye for an eye”. We emphasize in our entertainment media that getting even isn’t really revenge and that it is OK, that we are entitled to our “personal justice.” Our news stories are full of people who disagree with the verdicts from our legal system and demand justice through retrials and new charges against those whom they have judged guilty. Our legal system allows for not only reparations for harm but also for “punitive damages” – meant to inflict additional harm so that the perpetrator will not want to risk doing it again. We justify our actions by claiming that we are only defending ourselves.
And, after all, can’t we protect ourselves? What about those we love? Shouldn’t the saying be, “Do unto others BEFORE they do unto you.”?
Justice vs. Mercy. The Old Testament Law represents Justice. Jesus, in clarifying that law, represents Mercy. One is from the perspective of those who govern with earthly rules; the other is from the perspective of God who seeks holiness in all.
And therein lies the problem. How can I love someone at the same time that I think I’m justified in knocking their teeth in or ripping their eyeballs out?
And yet, none of these “legalistic” actions add to our happiness, or take away the hurt that we feel when we have been wrongly injured. I remember a news story a few years ago about a man who had killed a little boy while driving while intoxicated and the child’s mother was still dealing with her grief. After 5 years the man was still awaiting trial, and he claimed that he was deeply grieved by what he had done. Every day he said he looked at the image of the little boy that he had taken from a newspaper clipping and prayed, and he wanted to apologize to the family for the hurt he had caused.
The mother, still deep in her grief after all those years, granted him his request and made a jailhouse visit during which the man publically apologized to her for the harm he had caused. Then he sat there unmoving while the mother vented all her pain and anguish upon him, cursing and reviling him. She said that she would NEVER forgive him, finally telling him to leave. And then, she cried.
The Law of Justice will never bring us peace.
So, what should we do? Well, the common theme of all three readings today, even our responsorial Psalm, tells us: Be Holy for the Lord, your God, is holy. Be Kind and Merciful, for the Lord is Kind and Merciful. Strive to be Perfect as your Heavenly Father is Perfect.
Wait a minute. Be perfect? Not a chance! God may let the sun shine on the bad and the good, but isn’t that just a little too hard for us? After all, the animal in us, when hurt, wants to strike back in self-defense. We run from what we fear, or if cornered we will attack. That’s our animal nature.
But it isn’t our spiritual nature. We are temples of God, and God dwells in us. We can be holy if we let God in His Holiness dwell in us. And that is what Jesus wants us to be. Be holy. Be kind and merciful. Follow the Law of Mercy.
As we enter into Lent this next week, our daily readings will show us how Jesus lived out the words of today’s Gospel. He will be reviled by the Romans and his own people alike. They will strike his cheek, and he will offer the other one. They will stand him before judges and he will not resist; they will strip him of his tunic and cloak, and he will not protest. They will press him into service, making him carry his own cross, the instrument of his own death, and he will do so willingly. All of this he will do in fulfillment of those two great commands: Love of God and Love of our Neighbor. And finally, Jesus will judge the good thief under the law of Mercy.
We should make it our challenge this Lent to go the extra mile in showing mercy to others. Every time evil befalls us, whenever we are harmed in some manner or fashion, we should reflect on the words from today’s Gospel. We may not be perfect, but we can be faithful. And Merciful.
The Law of Justice? Or the Law of Mercy? Which one will we use to judge others this Lent? As Jesus goes the extra mile for us, will we go the extra mile for Him?
