An extra mile, yes; but compromise, no!

WORD 2day: Monday, 11th week in Ordinary Time

June 17, 2024 - 1 Kings 21: 1-16; Matthew 5: 38-42

Ahab seems a strange man! One would get confused whether he was a virtuous man or a villainous man when they see his profile as it appears in the book of Kings. He never seems to be doing evil, but remains still the cause and the source of a series of evil acts. He seems to have some kind of a fear of God but it finally amounts to a pseudo reverence to God, as he approves of the evil done by others and draws heavily from those. 

The Gospel today recommends us to go the extra mile for the other's sake! But can that mean doing anything to please the other? That is not what it means! There can be no compromises when it comes to certain values or certain decisions to be made in life. A true Godly person would be one who is ready for any sacrifice for the sake of the other, keeping to what the Word demands, but never ready even for the slightest compromise on what the Word teaches as values of living as a child of God. 

Ahab might not have done evil, but he had made compromises! Whoever knew it or not, he knew it and God knew it. That is the key. When we make compromises that are subtle, it does not matter who knows it or not, we know it well and the Lord knows it. Don't we need to be mindful of it? We are not here to judge the intentions of the other but let us not forget, our own intentions they are as bright as the day for the Lord and we cannot escape from them. That is what happened to Ahab - he might have given all the good image that he could about himself, but he knew that he had always the responsibility for his compromises. 

Today, when we have to go an extra mile to forgive, accept and love all those brothers and sisters of ours who have something against us, we are also challenged never to compromise on what is true, good and acceptable in the eyes of the Lord - do we possess this Christian competence?