SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - A

AT THE ENEMY’S GATE

How do people treat their enemies?  There are various attempts to deal with enemies.  Some people “crush” their enemies.  This is what armies of nations do against their opposing faction. It involves the method of killing and eradicating the opponents.

Others simply take revenge on their enemies. This is how you give your enemy a dose of his own medicine. “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” (Mt. 5:38) is a principle that the Lord Jesus strongly disapproves for his disciples. Still others merely ignore their enemies. By ignoring them, you reduce them to insignificance and virtual non-existence.

And many of us struggle with another approach – love your enemies (Mt. 5:44). 

Which of these do you use on your enemy?  If we are honest, I think most of us will say that the last, that of the Lord Jesus Christ, is the most difficult. Humanly speaking, the first 3 options are most attractive.  Jesus calls us to follow a different and new path, the road less travelled – love.

While it is easy to love those who love and respect you, it is hard to love an enemy. It is great to experience a “Valentine’s” love – love for love, kindness for kindness, generosity for generosity.  But give love to someone who hates you or makes you suffer? That’s way beyond our natural impulses.

The Lord Jesus invites us to this heroic love of enemies. Why?

Jesus wants us to have peace of mind and heart. The way of war destroys peace among nations and between persons. Jesus wants us to end the cycle of violence.  The way of revenge unfurls endless suffering and pain. Jesus wants us to be active in love.  The way of ignoring others disregards the value of every human person.

Most important of all, Jesus wants us to be different from what the world expects us to be. He invites us to be like him, to be like his Father, to be truly children of God. So he says: Be holy as your Father in heaven is holy. To be holy is to be a living icon, a living picture of God himself. We truly become God’s temple.

This is certainly not easy. Recently a person made me suffer so much. But in the end, I offered everything up to the Lord. It is best to put things in his hands, to pray for the offender, to desire his conversion, to wish him peace. The result is a liberating peace of mind and heart.

Lord, today you surprise us with a difficult word of life, a difficult lesson to live.  We ask for your grace to be able to love the most difficult person to accept in our hearts – our enemies. Amen.