Returning Love for Hate The readings today are linked together by one main theme: the power of Christian love, when exercised in unconditional forgiveness. The readings also instruct us about our right and wrong choices. The right choices lead us to God, and the wrong ones break our relationship with Him and with one another. By most reasonable judgment, David should have finished off his enemy and predator who was hunting him down. Saul wanted nothing more than David's defeat and death. Yet, at the very moment when God had delivered Saul into David's grasp, the chance to drive a final stab to the heart and end the threat, David turned away from revenge and violence. “Do not harm him, for who can lay hands on the Lord's anointed?” So, David made the right choice, respecting God’s anointed king by forgiving his offenses, while Saul continued to make the wrong choices, perpetuating his own misery seeking his revenge. What makes Christianity distinct from any other religion is the quality known as grace, i.e., God’s own life working in us, so that we can treat others, not as they deserve but with love, kindness, and mercy. God is good to the unjust as well as to the just. Hence our love for others, even those who are ungrateful and selfish towards us, must be marked by the same kindness and mercy which God has shown to us. When we pray for those who do us wrong, we break the power of hate in ourselves and in others and release the power of love. How can we possibly love those who cause us harm? God gives the necessary power and grace to those who believe and accept the gift of the Holy Spirit. His love conquers our hurts, fears, prejudices, and grief. Only the cross of Jesus Christ can free us from the tyranny of malice, hatred, revenge, and resentment, and give us the courage to return good for evil. According to the wisdom from today’s Gospel, you are to love your enemies, bless those who curse you, give people your other cheek to slap, offer more goods to those who are taking things from you, lend without expecting repayment, and go through life without judging or condemning anyone. When we hear this Gospel passage we are tempted to ask: “Is Jesus serious about his teaching on forgiveness? Does Jesus expect us to subject ourselves to physical abuse and actually find joy in it? Is he saying that to defend oneself against physical attack is a sin? What does he mean when he tells us to “turn the other cheek?” Jesus is completely serious when he tells us to love our enemies and forgive them, showing them that God’s justice lies in His mercy. That’s the message in today’s Gospel. You might say that you still don’t have a clue and there is no way that you could love your enemy after what has been done to you. If the pain and hurt is as bad as that, and sometimes it is, then forgiving in this situation is a grace or a miracle for which we need to pray. People have forgiven the most extraordinary crimes because they were ‘graced’ by God to do so. It is not impossible to love enemies. If it were impossible, Jesus would not have asked us to do so. If he asked us to love enemies, it is certainly possible. So let us pray for the grace to forgive. If we exact an eye for an eye the whole world will go blind. Jesus asks us to put love into life, to break the spiral of violence and hatred and negativity. Here is an example of a prayer that we can make our own: Prayer of Generosity by St. Ignatius of Loyola: Dearest Lord, teach me to be generous Teach me to serve You as I should To give and not to count the cost To fight and not to heed the wounds To toil and not to seek for rest To labor and not to ask reward Save that of knowing that I do Your Most holy will. Amen.
Returning Love for Hate The readings today are linked together by one main theme: the power of Christian love, when exercised in unconditional forgiveness. The readings also instruct us about our right and wrong choices. The right choices lead us to God, and the wrong ones break our relationship with Him and with one another. By most reasonable judgment, David should have finished off his enemy and predator who was hunting him down. Saul wanted nothing more than David's defeat and death. Yet, at the very moment when God had delivered Saul into David's grasp, the chance to drive a final stab to the heart and end the threat, David turned away from revenge and violence. “Do not harm him, for who can lay hands on the Lord's anointed?” So, David made the right choice, respecting God’s anointed king by forgiving his offenses, while Saul continued to make the wrong choices, perpetuating his own misery seeking his revenge. What makes Christianity distinct from any other religion is the quality known as grace, i.e., God’s own life working in us, so that we can treat others, not as they deserve but with love, kindness, and mercy. God is good to the unjust as well as to the just. Hence our love for others, even those who are ungrateful and selfish towards us, must be marked by the same kindness and mercy which God has shown to us. When we pray for those who do us wrong, we break the power of hate in ourselves and in others and release the power of love. How can we possibly love those who cause us harm? God gives the necessary power and grace to those who believe and accept the gift of the Holy Spirit. His love conquers our hurts, fears, prejudices, and grief. Only the cross of Jesus Christ can free us from the tyranny of malice, hatred, revenge, and resentment, and give us the courage to return good for evil. According to the wisdom from today’s Gospel, you are to love your enemies, bless those who curse you, give people your other cheek to slap, offer more goods to those who are taking things from you, lend without expecting repayment, and go through life without judging or condemning anyone. When we hear this Gospel passage we are tempted to ask: “Is Jesus serious about his teaching on forgiveness? Does Jesus expect us to subject ourselves to physical abuse and actually find joy in it? Is he saying that to defend oneself against physical attack is a sin? What does he mean when he tells us to “turn the other cheek?” Jesus is completely serious when he tells us to love our enemies and forgive them, showing them that God’s justice lies in His mercy. That’s the message in today’s Gospel. You might say that you still don’t have a clue and there is no way that you could love your enemy after what has been done to you. If the pain and hurt is as bad as that, and sometimes it is, then forgiving in this situation is a grace or a miracle for which we need to pray. People have forgiven the most extraordinary crimes because they were ‘graced’ by God to do so. It is not impossible to love enemies. If it were impossible, Jesus would not have asked us to do so. If he asked us to love enemies, it is certainly possible. So let us pray for the grace to forgive. If we exact an eye for an eye the whole world will go blind. Jesus asks us to put love into life, to break the spiral of violence and hatred and negativity. Here is an example of a prayer that we can make our own: Prayer of Generosity by St. Ignatius of Loyola: Dearest Lord, teach me to be generous Teach me to serve You as I should To give and not to count the cost To fight and not to heed the wounds To toil and not to seek for rest To labor and not to ask reward Save that of knowing that I do Your Most holy will. Amen.