Jesus teaching about love of enemies

Our Sunday Gospel today is another teaching by our Lord Jesus Christ, which is perhaps the most difficult teaching to come from any religion, which differentiates the teaching of God from the teachings of human beings. It is the teaching about retaliation and love of enemies. In ancient times, the normal teaching was "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" and this was practiced by most of the human race until Christianity arrived.

Then came our Lord Jesus Christ who taught his disciples the exact opposite… and if Christians found it hard to follow this teaching, perhaps it was because they felt that this was not a human trait. But then our Lord also taught his disciples to "Be holy as your Father is holy!" Therefore we follow the tenets of Christianity… we must therefore strive for Holiness… because when you are holy, then it is easy to learn to love one's enemies. St. Josemaria Escriva, founder of Opus Dei, taught about being holy in ordinary life, something that he achieved as a simple priest, which is why he became a saint. Now his successor in Opus Dei, Fr. Alvaro Portillo, will soon be beatified this September.

So the keyword you need to put in your minds is holiness and then you will understand our Sunday Gospel today on loving one's enemies. You can find today's gospel in your Bibles on Matt. 5:38-48.

"[Jesus said to his disciples;] 38" You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' 39 But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on [your] right cheek, turn the other one to him as well."

40 If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. 41 Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.

43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love our neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? 48 So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect."

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Now who ever said that Catholicism was an easy religion? No sir, Christianity grew in ancient times because the first Christians who believed in that crucified son of a carpenter was so convincing, they would rather lose their lives than save it in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Yet today's gospel is one of the most difficult teachings for Christians to follow because as human as we all are… it is simply downright difficult to love one's enemies which is why so many of us just can't follow the footsteps of our Lord Jesus Christ even if we wanted to. But we must ask for grace to know it.

I recall an anecdote attributed to Mahatma Gandhi who in one legend said, "I like your Christ, but I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ." I guess that's because Gandhi only met the average-run-of-the-mill Christians who probably had a small knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But eventually, the people of Calcutta in India would see Christ in the person of Mother Teresa who cared for the poor, the elderly and the sick and it wasn't important to her if the person was a Christian or not.

You may ask, "Why does our Lord Jesus teach us to love even our enemies?" To understand this passage, allow me to bring you back to what the Lord said when he first predicted his passion and death, wherein Peter remarked God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you. The reply of our Lord Jesus Christ is written in Matt.16: 23; "Get behind me Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." This was their conversation right after Our Lord Jesus Christ anointed Simon as Peter the Rock and upon this rock, I shall build my church. Yet Peter's reply to the prediction of our Lord's passion was very human… "God forbid that no such thing shall happen to you."

At the end of today's gospel reading, Our Lord said, "So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." So if we think the way God thinks, it means we must love one another in a perfect love…that one could even love their enemies in the midst of this perfection. This was clearly shown during the passion of our Lord as he was hanging on the cross and in near death. Yet he said, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." That was God, showing his love for those who tortured and crucified him, because God could only love us with his perfect love no matter how imperfect we all are.

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