"You have heard that it was said, "you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." - Matthew 5: 43 – 44
There is little that is clearer than the moral maxim Jesus cited as the prevailing norm of his own time and place: "Love your friends, hate your enemies." It seems to be the prevailing norm in our world today.
It’s acceptable to hate our enemies, to demean others, to accept divisiveness and bigotry. But what does it mean to love our enemies in this time of brutal divisiveness? What is Jesus asking of us?
It does not mean indifference to evil. It does mean restraining our own, all too human, impulses to demonize those we oppose, to exaggerate their flaws, to engage in recrimination and ridicule, to get hooked into the unending cycle of revenge. It means remembering that God also loves those we can't abide. Jesus, you are asking a lot! You are also giving a lot. You never stopped loving me in all those times when I was your enemy.
Prayer: It is so easy, Lord, to follow the way of the world, loving only those who love us. Help us to love those who don’t love us. Amen.
