A shocking call

The call to love is always alluring.  Surely, many graciously welcomed Jesus’ call to love God and the neighbor.  It was the best synthesis of the Law.  But what they could not imagine was that one day he would speak to them about loving their enemies.

But Jesus did just that.  Without any backing from biblical tradition and distancing himself from the psalms of vengeance, which nourished the prayer of his people, as well as confronting the general climate of hate that prevailed all around him, Jesus proclaimed his call with absolute clarity: “But I say to you:  love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who persecute you.”

His language is outrageous and surprising, yet completely consistent with his experience of God.  The Father is not violent:  God loves even his enemies and does not seek anyone’s destruction.  His greatness does not consist in avenging himself but in loving everyone unconditionally.  Those who would see themselves as children of such a God should not introduce into the world either hatred for anybody or the destruction of anyone.

Love of enemy is not a secondary teaching that Jesus addresses to people who are called to heroic perfection.  His call wants to introduce into history a new attitude toward the enemy because he wants to eliminate hate and destructive violence in the world.  Anyone who wants to be like God will not nourish hate against anyone, but will seek rather the good of all, of their enemies also.

When Jesus speaks of love of enemy, he is not asking us to nurture within us feelings of affection, sympathy or tenderness toward someone who does us ill.  The enemy continues to be someone from whom we can expect harm, and how we feel about him cannot change without much difficulty.

To love our enemy means, above all, not to do him evil, not to seek or desire to do him harm.  We should not be surprised if we do not feel any love for him at all.  It is just natural that we feel hurt or humiliated.  What we need to be concerned when we continue nurturing hatred and the thirst for revenge.

But it is has to do with more than just not doing him wrong.  We can take further steps and be willing even to do him good if we find him in need.  We ought not to forget that we are more human when we forgive than when we take revenge and gloat at an enemy’s misfortune.

Sincere forgiveness of enemy is not easy.  There are some occasions when it becomes practically impossible for someone to get rid at that moment of rejection, hatred or the thirst for revenge.  We should not judge anyone from the outside.  Only God understands us and forgives unconditionally, even when we are not capable of forgiving.

José Antonio Pagola

February 23, 2014
7 Ordinary Time (A)
Matthew 5, 38-48