| "What I say to you is ‘love your enemies' that you may be children of your heavenly Father." Matt. 5.44-45
Jesus command - and it is a command, not a suggestion or mere advice - that we love our enemies is perhaps the most challenging element of Christian life. We can, sort of, make peace with "love your neighbor as yourself".....until we realize that the "neighbor" here includes folks we perceive as being on the other side of an issue or among those who do us wrong. (Members of unions for public workers must love Governor Walker - and he must love those unionized workers. They don't have to agree, but they must love). As individuals we must love even those who hate us or who have harmed us...and we must be on the road to forgiveness. Our salvation depends on it.
The story is told of a Christian who went to his spiritual father to confess that - try as he might - he could not forgive his brother who had harmed him. The harm was real; the guy had really been hurt. The spiritual Father asked the man if he prayed the Lord's Prayer. Well, of course, Christians pray the Lord's Prayer often. The spiritual Father then instructed the seeker to change the words when he prayed. Instead of saying, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us", he was to pray, "Do NOT forgive us ....as we do NOT forgive those who trespass against us".
This was a wake-up call, a revelation. If we refuse to love our neighbor, if we refuse to forgive those who harm us or hate us, we risk our own salvation. This is a most serious matter. Now people will say that such love of neighbor, even of enemies, such forgiveness is just not realistic. It's an ideal, maybe, but it is beyond what can be expected. We're only human.
St Paul reminds us: "If anyone among you considers yourself wise in this age, let him become a fool so as to become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God. (I Cor 3.18).
No one is claiming that loving as God would have us love is easy. No one is suggesting that forgiveness happens overnight. Learning to love and to forgive may well be, most likely will be a lifetime struggle. Love of enemies and forgiveness is not natural. It is supernatural. That is, stretching ourselves beyond what comes naturally is truly "of God".
But that is precisely what the Lord asks of us. "Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt. 5.48) "But I can't", we say. "But you must", says God, "and with my help, all things are possible."
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
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