Love Your Enemy

“May those who love us, love us;
And for those who don't love us,
May God turn their hearts;
And if He doesn't turn their hearts,
May He turn their ankles,
So we will know them by their limping.”

― Old Irish Curse

Story of St. Patrick – Feast Day coming up in a month

Often more of national pride – or just a reason for partying – These over shadow the man whose name it honors

 Patrick - Son of an official in Roman Britain – kidnapped at age 16 by Irish raiders and brought to Ireland

Slave to a King – sent to tend the sheep – cold – alone – long dark nights-he clung to the faith with which he was raised.

There he prayed and came to know Jesus.

Eventually escaped and to England

Entered seminary – ordained – asked to be sent as a missionary – To Ireland!

He brought Christianity to Ireland

Love your enemy!

That’s what was new in what Jesus taught in today’s Gospel?

 Not “Love your neighbor as yourself”?

Moses taught that in explaining to the Israelites how to be holy.

The Lord told Moses

Speak to the whole Israelite community and tell them: Be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy.

To help them know what it meant to by holy, Moses told the Israelites:

You shall not bear hatred for your brother or sister in your heart…

Take no revenge and cherish no grudge…

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Good advice – but Jesus kicked it up a notch…Love your enemy.

Today’s Gospel is a continuation of last week’s Gospel where Jesus has been preaching – using a theme:

You have heard that it was said…but I say to you…

You see, Jesus holds his disciples to a higher standard.

He tells them – it must be different with you.

Remember, he told them in last week’s Gospel:

Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus wants his disciples – and we are his modern day disciples – so he wants us to aspire to a higher standard – He wants us to strive for perfection.

No just – love your neighbor – but love your enemy!

Love your enemy – That’s crazy!  That’s foolish!  If I don’t hate my enemy (that’s OT), he will take advantage of me and prevail over me. 

Yes – love your enemy is counter-cultural.  It is foolish by the prevailing culture in the time of Jesus and in our time.  People will call us fools.

But St. Paul invites us to be fools for Christ!

He speaks to us about wisdom – God’s wisdom – a way of thinking that is not the wisdom of the culture around the disciples – not then and not now!

As disciples, it is our mission to sanctify the world – to make it holy – but how do we do that? 

Lumen Gentium – (We) must follow in the footsteps of Jesus

          Conform themselves to his image

          Seeking the will of the Father in all things

In the Gospel, Jesus told his disciples and he tells us – you must be different.

The world says – and eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth – but I say, offer no resistance to one who is evil.  Answer evil with good!  Answer meanness with kindness!

If your enemy is hungry – feed him.  If he is thirsty – give him something to drink. (St. Paul)

The world says hate your enemy – destroy them!  But Jesus says, “Love your enemy.” 

The world says there are only two ways to meet oppression:

• Fight – even with violence if needed
• Passively accept what happens

Jesus gives us a third way – ACTIVE NON-VIOLENCE.

• Resist with wisdom.
• Slap in the face – “When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn and offer the other one as well.”
  • Right cheek – would have been a back handed slap because one would not use the left hand – unclean.
  • Back handed slap was the usual way that a person would admonish and inferior person.
  • Turn the other cheek would require a front handed slap – as to an equal.
  • The fact that the person was not fazed by the act that was meant to humiliate causes the one who humiliates (and anyone else who sees it) to think twice about the action.
• See, I don’t think Jesus a pacifist. He was he challenging the culture of his time
• Makes people think – helps them to become a better person – and that is love! That is one way to love our enemies. That was in the time in which Jesus lived.  How does it look in our times. 
• Church sign: Love your enemies – it messes with their minds!
• Jesus is not calling us to be a door mat.
• Jesus is not calling us to enable the bad behavior of others.
• But he is calling us to respond in a way that is consistent with the law of Love!
  • Do not harbor evil thoughts about your enemy.
  • Until you know for certain otherwise – think they have intentions for good
  • Pray for them.
  • Seek the wisdom of God in responding to them
  • Don’t retaliate.
  • Forgive your enemy

The Father’s will is that we would love one another.  If we do this – we are way different than the world around us. 

How can we be kind to those who are mean to us?  By ourselves, we can’t – but if we try seek Jesus in prayer and here in the Eucharist – we can. 

Living as a disciple of Jesus, conforming ourselves to Jesus is hard! 

That is why we need to come here and be strengthened by the Eucharist.

That is why we need to come here and be encouraged by one another.

As we work at it, we will grow in holiness. 

Lumen Gentium -- Disciples must devote themselves with all their being to:

          The glory of God

The service of their neighbor.

That is how we strive for perfection. 

“So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Being perfect does not mean that we have it all figured out.

It means that we are growing in holiness – working at it – getting better at it little by little.

This week, we enter the holy season of Lent. 

Lent is a good time to grow in holiness.

Fast…Pray…

Give alms – give of yourself or of your resources to help others

Read scripture…do some spiritual reading

Workout

Spend some time in silence

Participate in some of the special Lenten events and services that we offer.

Can we grow in holiness? 

Yes – we are made in the image and likeness of our God who is holiness.

And we are called today and throughout our lives to grow in holiness.

Maybe this Lent – at a time when our country and our world is so divided…

When it is so easy to look at others as the enemy…we can look for ways to love them.

“May those who love us, love us;
And for those who don't love us,
May God turn their hearts;
Lord, show me how to turn my heart;
That others may see you in me
And turn their hearts to you.”