1st Reading – 1 Samuel 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23
In those days, Saul went down to the desert of Ziph
with three thousand picked men of Israel,
to search for David in the desert of Ziph.
So David and Abishai went among Saul’s soldiers by night
and found Saul lying asleep within the barricade,
with his spear thrust into the ground at his head
and Abner and his men sleeping around him.
Abishai whispered to David:
“God has delivered your enemy into your grasp this day.
Let me nail him to the ground with one thrust of the spear;
I will not need a second thrust!”
But David said to Abishai, “Do not harm him,
for who can lay hands on the LORD’s anointed and remain unpunished?”
So David took the spear and the water jug from their place at Saul’s head,
and they got away without anyone’s seeing or knowing or awakening.
All remained asleep, because the LORD had put them into a deep slumber.
Going across to an opposite slope,
David stood on a remote hilltop
at a great distance from Abner, son of Ner, and the troops.
He said: “Here is the king’s spear.
Let an attendant come over to get it.
The LORD will reward each man for his justice and faithfulness.
Today, though the LORD delivered you into my grasp,
I would not harm the LORD’s anointed.”
Today’s first reading is a pivotal moment in David’s conflict with King Saul. It highlights David’s deep trust in God’s justice and his refusal to take the throne by force, reinforcing his integrity and faithfulness.
David’s behavior toward Saul is a model of the behavior that Jesus teaches in our gospel reading.
In those days Saul went off down to the desert of Ziph with three thousand picked men of Israel, to search for David in the desert of Ziph.
The desert of Ziph is located on the eastern slope of the mountains over the Dead Sea.
After David’s victory over Goliath (1 Samuel 17), he became a celebrated figure in Israel. The people praised him over Saul, singing, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands” (1 Samuel 18:7). From that moment, Saul saw David as a threat.
Though once favored, Saul had disobeyed God, and the prophet Samuel declared that his kingdom would be given to David. Fearful of losing power, Saul tried to kill David multiple times. When these schemes failed, Saul openly pursued David, hunting him across the land.
Notice the extreme measures he takes against David: he has deployed an elite military force against a man who only has a small band of followers.
So David and Abishai went among Saul’s soldiers by night and found Saul lying asleep within the barricade,
Abishai was David’s nephew, one of the three sons of his sister, Zeruiah (1 Chronicles 2:16). He was a military leader and close friend of David.
Infiltrating Saul’s camp at night required courage, cunning, and as we will see, divine intervention.
with his spear thrust into the ground at his head
Saul’s spear is a key symbol of his kingship and aggression. He had previously tried to kill David with it (1 Samuel 18:10-11; 19:9-10); now it is within David’s grasp.
More than just a weapon, the king’s spear was a key piece of royal regalia, signifying authority and power. When planted in the ground, it marked the location of the royal tent, a visible sign of the king’s presence and command.
and Abner and his men sleeping around him.
As the commander of Saul’s army, Abner should be protecting the king, but he and the soldiers are asleep, leaving Saul vulnerable.
Abishai whispered to David: “God has delivered your enemy into your grasp this day. Let me nail him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I will not need a second thrust!”
Although Saul is on a mission to find and kill David, it is David who has the opportunity to kill Saul.
Abishai sees this as divine intervention: God has delivered Saul into David’s hands. He asks David’s permission to kill Saul with his own spear, the ultimate disgrace.
But David said to Abishai, “Do not harm him, for who can lay hands on the LORD’S anointed and remain unpunished?
David rejects Abishai’s request, maintaining his deep respect for God’s anointed king, even when that king seeks to kill him.
Despite his faults, Saul was still the one chosen by God to lead the people. Rather than taking matters into his own hands, David entrusts Saul’s fate to God alone.
So David took the spear and the water jug from their place at Saul’s head,
In a daring act, David takes the items closest to Saul to show just how close they had been to him.
By taking them but leaving Saul unharmed, David makes a powerful statement: he has no intention of harming Saul or seizing the throne.
and they got away without anyone’s seeing or knowing or awakening. All remained asleep, because the LORD had put them into a deep slumber.
David is clearly favored by God, for the sleep that overcame Saul and his camp was not normal sleep. It was the same kind of deep slumber (tardēmâ) God had cast upon Adam when a rib was taken from him (Genesis 2:21), and when God cut a covenant with Abram (Genesis 15:12).
Going across to an opposite slope, David stood on a remote hilltop at a great
distance from Abner, son of Ner, and the troops. He said: “Here is the king’s spear. Let an attendant come over to get it.
David does not keep the weapon as a trophy, reinforcing his trust in God’s plan rather than his own power.
The LORD will reward each man for his justice and faithfulness.
David declares that it is God alone who judges and repays each person according to their righteousness (sedāqâ) and faithfulness (’ēmet).
Today, though the LORD delivered you into my grasp, I would not harm the LORD’S anointed.”
David’s words reflect his belief that God, not David or anyone else, should be the one to mete out justice.
This passage highlights David’s unwavering faith, self-restraint, and trust in God’s justice. Though he has every opportunity to eliminate Saul, he chooses mercy over vengeance, foreshadowing Jesus’ teaching to love one’s enemies.
2nd Reading – 1 Corinthians 15:45-49
Brothers and sisters:
It is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living being,”
the last Adam a life-giving spirit.
But the spiritual was not first;
rather the natural and then the spiritual.
The first man was from the earth, earthly;
the second man, from heaven.
As was the earthly one, so also are the earthly,
and as is the heavenly one, so also are the heavenly.
Just as we have borne the image of the earthly one,
we shall also bear the image of the heavenly one.
Each year the Church dedicates the time between Christmas and Lent to study 1 Corinthians, reflecting on Paul’s guidance to the early Christian community.
In today’s second reading, Paul continues his discussion on the resurrection, contrasting the ordinary human body with the resurrected body that believers will receive.
Brothers and sisters: It is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living being,”
Paul begins by citing Genesis 2:7. He alters the text slightly, adding the adjective “first”, and translating the Hebrew ’ādām twice, so as to give it its value both as a common noun (man) and as a proper name (Adam).
When God formed Adam from dust and breathed life into him, he became a living being (nephesh chayyāh). Adam’s life was biological and mortal — he was animated by God’s breath but remained perishable.
the last Adam a life-giving spirit.
Paul calls Christ the “last Adam” to emphasize that he is the ultimate fulfillment and reversal of what Adam began.
Unlike Adam, who received life, Christ gives life – specifically, eternal life.
- “Love God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself and you will live.” (Luke 10:27-28)
- “He who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life.” (John 5:24)
- “He who eats me will live because of me.” (John 6:57)
- “Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more, but you will see me; because I live, you will live also.” (John 14:19)
But the spiritual was not first; rather the natural and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, earthly; the second man, from heaven.
Paul points out the order of salvation: first comes the natural (Adam, mortal life), then the spiritual (Christ, resurrection life).
Adam, formed from the earth, was bound to mortality and decay. God endowed him with the ability to reproduce, to propagate more earthly beings like himself, with a nature and a body like his own.
Christ is God himself, who came down from heaven to give life to the world (John 6:33).
Paul is building toward the idea that our resurrection bodies will not be like Adam’s perishable body but like Christ’s glorified, heavenly body.
As was the earthly one, so also are the earthly, and as is the heavenly one, so also are the heavenly.
“The earthly” (also translated as “those who are of the dust”) represent humanity in its fallen, mortal state, inheriting Adam’s nature.
“The heavenly” are believers transformed into Christ’s likeness, receiving resurrection bodies.
Just as we have borne the image of the earthly one, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly one.
This is the hope of the resurrection: that our perishable, earthly bodies will be exchanged for imperishable, glorified ones. We will no longer be marked by weakness and death but by the radiance of Christ himself.
In Him, we are not merely restored — we are remade.
Gospel – Luke 6:27-38
Jesus said to his disciples:
“To you who hear I say,
love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
To the person who strikes you on one cheek,
offer the other one as well,
and from the person who takes your cloak,
do not withhold even your tunic.
Give to everyone who asks of you,
and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back.
Do to others as you would have them do to you.
For if you love those who love you,
what credit is that to you?
Even sinners love those who love them.
And if you do good to those who do good to you,
what credit is that to you?
Even sinners do the same.
If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment,
what credit is that to you?
Even sinners lend to sinners,
and get back the same amount.
But rather, love your enemies and do good to them,
and lend expecting nothing back;
then your reward will be great
and you will be children of the Most High,
for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.
Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Stop judging and you will not be judged.
Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.
Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give, and gifts will be given to you;
a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing,
will be poured into your lap.
For the measure with which you measure
will in return be measured out to you.”
This week’s gospel reading is a continuation of Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain, which emphasizes love, mercy, and generosity as marks of true discipleship.
Jesus said to his disciples: “To you who hear I say,
Jesus directly addresses his audience. The teaching that follows will require attentiveness and a willing heart.
love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
The heart of this instruction is love — specifically agápē, a selfless, active love directed even toward one’s enemies.
Jesus expresses this command in four parallel ways: love / do good to / bless / pray for … enemies / those who hate you / those who curse you / those who mistreat you.
This isn’t just about enduring mistreatment; Jesus calls for direct demonstrations of love toward those inflicting the mistreatment.
Such a radical command feels unnatural. Our instinct is to resist or retaliate against our enemies; they are the last people on earth we want to love.
Yet, Jesus calls his disciples to reverse that cycle of hatred and embrace a love that transcends human nature.
To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well,
In ancient culture, a slap was an insult rather than an attack. Turning the other cheek symbolizes rejecting revenge and maintaining dignity.
and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic.
One must give extravagantly, even to one’s enemies. They are to surrender even their undergarment when their outer cloak is taken.
Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back.
Jesus promotes an open-handed approach to meeting the needs of others, emphasizing trust in God’s provision rather than clinging to material security.
Do to others as you would have them do to you.
Known as The Golden Rule, this principle shifts moral behavior from mere reaction to proactive kindness.
This saying appears elsewhere in negative form; for example Tobit 4:15: Do to no one what you yourself hate.
The negative form admonishes us to refrain from evil, while Jesus’ positive, open-ended version calls for active love.
For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, and get back the same amount.
Jesus challenges our human tendency toward a transactional mindset. Loving only those who love us is natural, but divine love extends to all, even enemies.
There is no credit (cháris) in acting generously only for the sake of being repaid.
Christian love is meant to reflect God’s character, not just societal norms.
But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back;
Christians have a duty to respect everyone without exception — even our enemies — because of their intrinsic dignity as a human person, made in the image and likeness of God.
“In loving our enemies there shines forth in us some likeness to God our Father, who, by the death of his Son, ransomed from everlasting perdition and reconciled to himself the human race, which previously was most unfriendly and hostile to him” (Saint Pius V, Catechism, 4, 14, 19).
then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High,
When we model our lives after Christ, our reward is spiritual inheritance as God’s children — the greatest reward imaginable.
for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.
When we love our enemies, we are emulating God, whose mercy extends even to those who reject him (“the ungrateful and the wicked”).
Be merciful, just as also your Father is merciful.
The disciples are called to be merciful (oiktírmōn) as God is merciful. The word oiktírmōn means to be viscerally compassionate, experiencing deep pity for others, similar to the loving attachment a mother has for the child in her womb.
Describing God in these terms offers a profound shift in the Jewish understanding of his fatherhood, emphasizing not just authority but an intimate, nurturing love.
Our desire for everyone — even our enemies — must be eternal life.
Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.
Jesus pivots to warn his audience against having a critical, self-righteous spirit. This does not mean ignoring sin, but rather avoiding harsh, hypocritical judgment.
The way we treat others will be the standard for the way we are treated by God.
Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Forgiveness is both a divine gift and a responsibility. Those who experience God’s mercy must extend it to others.
Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”
Generosity leads to abundance — not necessarily material wealth, but the richness of God’s blessing. Those who hear and follow these instructions will be all the more open to receiving God’s bountiful love.
The extent of this extravagant love is illustrated through an image of measuring grain. However much we give God in this life, he will give us more — if not here on earth, than in life eternal. The goodness of God far exceeds even the greatest human generosity.
This gratuitous, overflowing love from God is what enables us to live out Christ’s seemingly impossible command to agapē love.
Connections and Themes
A call to radical change. In the Sermon on the Plain, Jesus challenges his disciples not only to tolerate their enemies but to actively love them, blessing those who curse them, and doing good to those who hate them. This teaching demands a radical shift — not just in our actions, but in our hearts.
David exemplifies this in our first reading when he spares Saul, trusting in God’s justice rather than taking matters into his own hands. His restraint foreshadows Christ’s call to mercy, showing that true strength is found in faith, not vengeance.
The divine image. In the second reading, Paul contrasts Adam, the earthly man, with Christ, the heavenly man. Just as we have inherited Adam’s fallen nature, we are called to be transformed into the image of Christ. This transformation goes beyond outward behavior; it reshapes our hearts and minds. As we grow in Christ, our very identity is remade, so that we no longer simply try to be merciful — we become merciful, as God is merciful.
This transformation is what enables us to do what Jesus asks: turn the other cheek, give our cloak and our tunic, lend without expectation of repayment, extend compassion instead of judgment, and extend mercy to those who hate us. Only through the power of the risen Lord can we move beyond our fallen tendencies and embrace the boundless mercy that marks us as true children of God.
Sunday Readings 