REVENGE AND GRUDGES 

SHORTEN ONE’S LIFE 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Revenge and Grudges Shorten One’s Life.”

And we can add, “If we act out - and lash out at others -  they can also shorten another’s life.”

Stress! Stress! Stress! 

I’m addressing STRESS in this homily - the stress that comes from revenge and grudges.

If you’ve been watching what’s going on in Kiev in the Ukraine, you have to be thinking, there is going to be long term consequences.

Those who have lost loved ones - shot by snipers - those who have been beaten by police - and vice versa - you have to realize - this will not be short term.  There are consequences. 

That’s over there. Over here in our own hearts and minds - the title of my homily is, “Revenge and Grudges Shorter One’s Life.”

TODAY’S READINGS

I had some time yesterday  to look at the readings for this Sabbath - and this theme of revenge and grudges is being stressed and expressed.

Today’s first reading from Leviticus 19: 1-2, 17-18 talks about hatred for a brother or a sister. Not good. It continues with being aware of consequences -  if we take time to talk to each other about the ugly stuff. In other words, be careful of the boomerang effect. Hatred is hot stuff and when talking about hurts and hatred - we can get burnt. Sin can singe.

Be aware, beware, of backlash.

Then in Leviticus 19: 18 we have these words we heard a few moments ago: “Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against any of your people. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”

I looked up the Hebrew for revenge and grudge - and I discovered there’s word play going on here. TIQQOM is the word for revenge. TITTOR is the word for grudge.

So beware of TIQQOM and TITTOR - and to make a play on words and letters -  they can be TNT - explosive.

And I hope this sounds familiar because in general the First Reading each Sunday is connected to the Gospel for that Sunday. The middle reading usually goes somewhere else. The Gospel is the anchor. We move through a different Gospel in Ordinary Time - every 3 years - Matthew, Mark and Luke. This year we’re doing Matthew.

So today’s gospel from Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount talks about hatred and revenge. TIQQOM and TITTOR - in Hebrew - I don’t know what the words are in Aramaic - the original language, the language of Jesus - but I would guess they are close to that.  It talks about retaliation - and how knocking out the other persons eye or tooth because that was done to us - isn’t the way to go.[Cf. Matthew 5:38-46]

Mouth and eyes - knocked out teeth and poked out eyes - only the beginning of the harm revenge and grudges can do to our bodies and our being.

Then Jesus gives his radical way to stop the wars and the fighting. It’s called, “The way of non-violence.”

The history of the world tells us this is not the way of governments - nor most protesters - down through our histories.

Jesus is radical, He tells us to turn the other cheek. Go the extra  mile. If someone wants your Redskins or Ravens or Nationals or Orioles jacket, give them your hat as well.

The only way to stop the hatred and revenge is to stop it in ourselves.

I assume we can’t stop it on the scenes we see on the TV screen, but we can stop the ugly retaliations at work in conversations - or pay back times in marriages and family life and in parking lots and on lines.

I would assume the first step would be awareness - spotting revenged and grudges - and it’s impact on our bodies and our lives.

RABBI JOSHUA BEN  HANANIAH

I looked up this big fat book I once bought for $75.00 - called “The Book of Legends” Sefer Ha - Aggadah - Legends from the Talmud and the Midrash".  Years and years ago a really smart scholar told me: “Let me give you the name of  the  book to buy!” And I went looking for it and found a copy of it in a Jewish Book Store in New York City.

If I have time - and I want to do some extra research - I pull it off my shelf.

For today’s text I got my money’s worth - that $75 dollars worth. I don’t know if you will think that - but I do.  I got the title and thought for this homily from Rabbi Joshua Ben Hananiah.

He was a rabbi from around 131 CE - we who follow Jesus would say - A.D. - He said the following about Leviticus 19: 18: “A grudging eye, the evil impulse, and hatred of his fellow men shorter a man’s life.”

Then I noticed the following [compare this to what Jesus says in today’s gospel - it’s roughly from 100 years before and 100 years after Christ]:

“We have been taught: What is revenge, and what is bearing a grudge?  Suppose A said to B, ‘Lend me your sickle,’ and B replied, ‘No.”  Then the next day, B said, ‘Lend me your ax,” and A replied, ‘I will not lend you’re the ax, just as you did not lend me your sickle.’ That is taking revenge.  And what is bearing a grudge?  Suppose A said to B, ‘Lend me your ax,’ and B replied, ‘No.’  Then the next day, B said, ‘Lend me your undershirt,’ and A replied, ‘Here it is. I am not like you, who would lend nothing to me.’  That is bearing a grudge.’”

I found that very interesting. I assume then when Jesus uses the world cloak - he would be familiar with these comments in the Talmud and Rabbinic literature.

CONCLUSION

That’s back then - just as the fighting around the world - is out there.

This Sunday’s readings should bring us into our world - the spaces and places we spend each day - especially daily living with each other.

The title of my homily is, “Revenge and Grudges Shorten One’s Life.”

When you feel revenge and grudges grumbling inside of you - pause. Feel your face - feel your body - feel your hands - especially when they are clinched. Realize similar contractions are happening inside our minds and hearts and insides - causing consequences - which shorten our life - the message of this homily. Amen.