Do Good to Those Who Hate You
Introduction: May
you continue to experience the love of GOD and be willing to share it with
others, even those with whom you have disagreements.
Some people
wonder about GOD’s love. They ask, “If GOD loves us, why do Good people
suffer?” Or they might voice the question, “How can GOD love those who are so
hateful that they go out and hurt whomever they can?” Part of the answer to
those questions comes from what GOD’s love is all about. GOD loves
unconditionally. GOD loves both sinners and saints. GOD is willing to give
everyone chances to experience divine love and respond to that love. Yes,
people will have to answer for the way they have responded to GOD’s love.
GOD’s love is
beyond full human understanding. We are asked to reflect on the love that Jesus
demonstrated by His coming to earth, teaching, healing, suffering, dying, and
rising. We are then expected to imitate our Master-Teacher and love others the
way the Lord Jesus has loved us.
Being a
disciple of Jesus demands that we raise ourselves to a higher level of action
and thought – a level of agape (love) – a spiritual level – while not forsaking
our earthly ties. In the First Reading, we hear the account of King Saul being
in the hands of David, yet David having mercy on the very enemy who is out to
kill him. The Responsorial reminds us that the LORD GOD, like a loving parent,
is kind and merciful, even to those who repeatedly do not do what is asked of
them. St. Paul speaks of the fact that through the Last Adam (Jesus) we (the
earthly descendants of the First Adam) are raised to a new, spiritual level. In
the Lucan Gospel of today, Jesus continues His Sermon on the Plain, challenging
His disciples to a new level of loving others – that of loving one’s enemies.
First Reading; 1 Samuel
26:2,7-9,11-13,22-23: Do not lift your hand against the Lord's anointed
Commentary: This delightful story of David occurs
when Saul is pursuing the young David in the wilderness of Judah, above the
Dead Sea. The successful young warrior was getting too ambitious for the liking
of King Saul, who, in a bad mood, tried to pin him to the wall with a spear,
and then threw him out of court. David then gathered a band of outlaws, and
Saul attempted to hunt him down. The result was this story. Was David
magnanimous, or was he already thinking that one day he, in his turn, would be
the LORD’s anointed? The assassination of the king would be a bad precedent!
David was a fantastic leader, the sort of person whom anyone would follow
anywhere. He was also a great sinner, committing adultery and murdering the
cuckolded husband to make his own guilt seem less. But he was a great penitent
too, a lovable and very human figure. Above all, he was the real founder of the
Israelite monarchy and of the ‘line of David’ from which Jesus would come. To
him were the promises made that God would be a father to the Son who would
reign forever on his throne.
Responsorial Psalm 103:1-4,8,10,12-13:
The Lord is compassion and love.
The
Responsorial today (“The LORD is kind and merciful”) summarizes the theme of
the whole psalm. It reminds us that GOD is willing to pardon all our sins and
not deal with us as our wrongdoings deserve, but as loving, compassionate
parents care for their children.
Second Reading; 1 Corinthians
15:45-49: The first Adam became a living soul; the last Adam, a life-giving
spirit
Commentary: This is the third of the four Sundays
on which Paul is explaining the meaning of the resurrection of Christians. The
resurrection of Christians follows the model of Jesus’ own Resurrection. As the
firstborn from the dead, Christ is the founder of the new humanity, just as
Adam is the founder of fallen humanity. ‘Adam’ means ‘Man’, and the story of
the Fall in the Book of Genesis is not so much a story of an event long ago as
the story of every human temptation and sin. However, the obedience of Christ,
the Second Adam, undoes the disobedience of the First Adam. Just before this
passage, Paul has explained that in the resurrection we will all be changed, and
transformed into the heavenly sphere, in the image of the Risen Christ. What
was weak will be strong with the strength of God, what was corruptible will be
incorruptible with the incorruptibility of God, what was contemptible will be
glorious with the glory of God. He refuses to say what sort of bodies we will
have, but he sums up the other changes by saying that whereas the life principle was the soul, in the resurrection it will be the Spirit of God.
Gospel Luke 6:27-38: Love your
enemies
Commentary: Luke’s version of the Beatitudes puts
the emphasis not on Christian attitudes, as Matthew’s version does, but on the
blessing of those in real, dire need. Now Luke continues this with our duty to
respond to those in need, even if they are hostile, even if they hate us. There
must be no calculation of whether we will get back money or property lent, no
limit to how much we lend or give. At first, it seems that Luke is concerned
only with money, and indeed he is so concerned, for he is always warning of the
danger of possessions and the need to use them for those who have none. Luke is
proclaiming Christ’s Good News to a more affluent society than Mark or Matthew and places all the more emphasis on the danger of wealth. But after dealing
with money Luke goes on to other acts of generosity. We must not judge but
must forgive in order to obtain forgiveness. Most of all, we must be
compassionate. Whereas Matthew ends his instructions here with the general, ‘Be
perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect’, Luke focuses on compassion,
‘Be compassionate just as your Father is compassionate’. It is an affair of the
heart: we must be emotionally involved with those in need.
Reflection: What
makes Christians different and what makes Christianity distinct from any other
religion? It is grace - treating others, not as they deserve, but as God wishes
them to be treated - with loving-kindness and mercy. God is good to the unjust
as well as the just. His love embraces saints and sinners alike. God seeks our
highest good and teaches us to seek the greatest good of others, even those who
hate and abuse us. Our love for others, even those who are ungrateful and
selfish towards us, must be marked by the same kindness and mercy that God has
shown to us. It is easier to show kindness and mercy when we can expect to
benefit from doing so. How much harder when we can expect nothing in return.
Give and forgive - the two wings of prayer: Augustine
of Hippo (354-430 AD) describes Jesus double precept to give and forgive as two
essential wings of prayer:
Forgive and you
will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. These are the two wings of
prayer on which it flies to God. Pardon the offender for what has been committed,
and give to the person in need (Sermon 205.3). "Let us graciously and
fervently perform these two types of almsgiving, that is, giving and forgiving,
for we in turn pray the Lord to give us things and not to repay our evil
deeds" (Sermon 206.2).
Bless and do not curse: Our prayer for those who
do us ill both breaks the power of revenge and releases the power of love to do
good in the face of evil. How can we possibly love those who cause us harm or ill will? With God all things are possible. He gives power and grace to those
who believe in the Lord Jesus and accept the gift of the Holy Spirit. His love
conquers all, even our hurts, fears, prejudices, and griefs. Only the cross of
Jesus Christ can free us from the tyranny of malice, hatred, revenge, and
resentment and give us the courage to return evil with good. Such love and
grace have the power to heal and to save from destruction. That is why Paul the
Apostle tells those who know the love and mercy of Jesus Christ to "bless
and not curse.. nor take revenge.. and to overcome evil with good" (Romans
12:14,17,21). Do you know the power of God's love, mercy, and righteousness
(moral goodness) for overcoming evil with good?
Lord Jesus,
your love brings freedom and pardon. Fill me with your Holy Spirit and set my
heart free with your merciful love that nothing may make me lose my temper,
ruffle my peace, take away my joy, nor make me bitter towards anyone.
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: The virtue of charity, by Ambrose of Milan, 339-397
A.D.
"Love is
commanded when it is said, 'Love your enemies' so that the saying which was
uttered already before the church may be fulfilled: 'Set in order love in me'
(Song of Solomon 2:4). For love is set in order when the precepts of love are
formed. See how it began from the heights and cast the law underneath the backs
of the Gospel's blessing. The law commands the revenge of punishment (see
Exodus 21:23-36). The gospel bestows love for hostility, benevolence for
hatred, prayer for curses, help for the persecuted, patience for the hungry, and
grace of reward. How much more perfect the athlete who does not feel
injury!" (excerpt from EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 5.73)
Mission impossible: “To you who hear Me, I say:
Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you and
pray for those who maltreat you.” —Luke 6:27-28
Jesus commands
us, His followers, to love our enemies. Before we can love our enemies, we must
forgive them. Take a few moments and think of that enemy who has hurt you the
most. Ask God for the grace to truly forgive this person from the depths of
your heart (see Mt 18:35). Say, “By the grace of God, I forgive (name) for the
damage done to me.”
Forgiving an
enemy from your heart is difficult enough. The next step is to love that enemy.
Only God can make us love, for “God is love” (1 Jn 4:8, 16). God’s grace is
poured down without measure (Lk 6:38). He sends down the rain on the bad and
good, friends and enemies (Mt 5:45).
Forgiveness is
so much more powerful than revenge and retaliation (see Rm 12:20-21).
Forgiveness robs the enemy of his power over you. When your enemy tries to
oppress you, if you say, “I’ll walk two miles with you instead of just one,”
you have disarmed your enemy (see Mt 5:41). Furthermore, your love for your
enemy opens a crack for the love of God to flow into your enemy’s life.
Ask God for the
grace to love enemies. “Pray for your persecutors” (Mt 5:44). It’s hard to hate
someone for whom you are praying. This proves you are a child of God, and that you
love your enemies. Depend not on yourself (see Prv 3:5-6). “Nothing is impossible
with God” (Lk 1:37).
Prayer: Father, pour out Your Spirit into my
heart (Rm 5:5), so I may forgive and love as You do. I truly want to be Your
child who forgives and loves my enemies. “Just as we resemble the man from
earth, so shall we bear the likeness of the Man from heaven.” —1 Cor 15:49. Praise
Jesus, the Beloved Son of the Father. Alleluia!
The personal action for today: When I think of “love,” what comes to mind? Do I
think of caring for my worst enemy? When I contemplate how much GOD has loved
me, in spite of my sinfulness, do I sense what “love” is? When have I
experienced “unconditional” love from someone? Whom might I be called to love
“unconditionally”?
*Saint Polycarp: Polycarp,
bishop of Smyrna, disciple of Saint John the Apostle, and friend of Saint
Ignatius of Antioch, was a revered Christian leader during the first half of
the second century.
Saint Ignatius,
on his way to Rome to be martyred, visited Polycarp at Smyrna, and later at
Troas wrote him a personal letter. The Asia Minor Churches recognized
Polycarp’s leadership by choosing him as a representative to discuss with Pope
Anicetus the date of the Easter celebration in Rome—a major controversy in the
early Church.
Only one of the
many letters written by Polycarp has been preserved, the one he wrote to the
Church of Philippi in Macedonia.
At 86, Polycarp
was led into the crowded Smyrna stadium to be burned alive. The flames did not
harm him and he was finally killed by a dagger. The centurion ordered the
saint’s body to burn. The “Acts” of Polycarp’s martyrdom are the earliest
preserved, fully reliable account of a Christian martyr’s death. He died in
155.
Polycarp was
recognized as a Christian leader by all Asia Minor Christians—a strong fortress
of faith and loyalty to Jesus Christ. His own strength emerged from his trust
in God, even when events contradicted this trust. Living among pagans and under
a government opposed to the new religion, he led and fed his flock. Like the
Good Shepherd, he laid down his life for his sheep and kept them from more
persecution in Smyrna. He summarized his trust in God just before he died:
“Father… I bless Thee, for having made me worthy of the day and the hour…”
(Acts of Martyrdom, Chapter 14).