Loving Your Enemies

Loving Your Enemies
February 24, 2019     7th Sunday in Ordinary Time - C
by Dcn. Bob Bonomi    

Today’s Gospel continues St. Luke’s version of the Beatitudes in his Sermon on the Plain.  Last week we heard the blessings that await those who are suffering affliction in this world and the impending woes that await those who are receiving apparent blessings now if they ignore those who suffer.

But this week Jesus is more direct about it.  Love your enemies.  Help them.  Pray for them.  Treat them with justice, for the way you treat them will be the way that you will be treated.
Of all of the passages in the Gospels, I think today’s poses the greatest challenge. Think about it:

•    Love Your Enemies
•    Bless those who curse you
•    Pray for those who mistreat you
•    If they hit you, let them hit you again
•    If they steal from you, give more to them unasked
•    And maybe the biggest challenge: “Do Good To Those Who Hate You”.

I have a confession to make.  While I’m quick to tell others to not be judgmental, I’m afraid that I still pass judgment on people sometimes.  I can be guilty of judging strangers based on appearance or how they sound.  And it’s not just strangers.  I sometimes unconsciously judge people I know – even those I’m closest to – although I might cut them a little slack or even make excuses for them afterward.  (See? I’m even being judgmental in just thinking about them.)
 
I mentally compare people to my own set of ideals and adjust my emotional state in relation to them depending on my opinion at the time – sometimes respectful; sometimes condescending; sometimes pleased; sometimes angry.  Rarely do I stop to think about how God sees them, unless it’s that God sees them as a disappointment like I do.  I’m quick to use in my mind those deadly words:  “They Never”; “They Always”; “I Assumed”.  These words poison my mind and keep me from responding to others in a loving manner.
 
It gets worse.  Ever stop to think about the number times a day that you do more than just judge a person, but actually pronounce sentence on them?  Think about the person who speeds by you or cuts you off and you think, “I wish a cop would catch that one.”  Or when you see someone coming at you and you intentionally ignore or avoid them because you just “know” what they are going to say, especially when you’re sure that there’s going to be an argument?
 
But today Jesus is calling us to a higher standard, and to be a Christian requires us to live according to that higher standard. What does it take to love your enemy, to pray for them, or to help them?  It is the difference between Justice and Revenge.
 
Justice is a form of behavior in dealing with another person in fairness, with genuine respect, open-mindedness, impartially, even-handed, ethically, morally, decently.
 
Too often, however, we equate justice with revenge – punishing someone how we think they deserve to be punished.  But revenge is not justice; it is the action of inflicting hurt or harm on someone for an injury or wrong suffered at their hands.  Revenge is all about getting even and not about justice.  We see in our movies.  We hear it in our news.
 
And getting even is like trying to straighten out a bent nail.  You have to hammer it or bend it more in the opposite direction in order to make it look straight, and in the process the metal is weakened.  It bends easier next time, and metal fatigue eventually causes it to break. Revenge is like a disease that eats at you. So how do we know whether we are seeking justice, or just revenge?
 
The answer lies in our “motivation”.  What motivates us to respond the way that we deal with others, especially when we are treated unjustly?  What motivates us more, love or fear?
 
Jesus in today's gospel appears to be counter-cultural in his response, although even in Old Testament times the prophets repeatedly pointed out God’s desire for mercy from us:

•    Proverbs 25: “If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat, if thirsty, give something to drink; For live coals you will heap on their heads, and the LORD will vindicate you.
•    Leviticus 19: Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your own people. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD, your God.
•    Deuteronomy 32: Vengeance is mine says the Lord.

We see it too in the New Testament.  St. Paul echoes this in his letter to the Romans: “Do not repay anyone evil for evil; be concerned for what is noble in the sight of all. If possible, on your part, live at peace with all. Beloved, do not look for revenge but leave room for the wrath (of God); for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” Rather, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head.” Do not be conquered by evil but conquer evil with good.
 
And St. Peter makes it clear too:  “Finally, all of you, be of one mind, sympathetic, loving toward one another, compassionate, humble. Do not return evil for evil, or insult for insult; but, on the contrary, a blessing, because to this you were called, that you might inherit a blessing. … But even if you should suffer because of righteousness, blessed are you. Do not be afraid or terrified with fear of them, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that be the will of God, than for doing evil.
 
So, Jesus teaches us that in order that we show that we are Christians and truly children of God, we must hold ourselves to a higher standard than non-believers.  We must love everyone, including our enemies. We aren’t always going to succeed, for pain and anger can be hard to overcome.  We need the help of Jesus in order to do so.  But despite what the world will tell you, if we don't seek revenge and we respond as Jesus tells us today, it isn’t a sign of weakness, but of strength.  It takes Courage and Endurance, gifts of the Holy Spirit. It means that if we look to the higher standard set by Jesus himself as he took up his cross, we too will receive our reward - and God's mercy.
 
Stand up for what you believe. Live and defend your faith, but do so with love and humility.
Remember what Jesus tell us from the Gospel of St. John:  “Love one another as I have loved you.”
 
And remember, Revenge is for the movies, not for our life.