Love your enemies.
DEUTERONOMY 26:16–19; PSALM 118; MATTHEW 5:43–48
Jesus said to his disciples, ‘You have learned how it was said: You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say this to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you; in this way, you will be sons of your Father in heaven.” How can we love our enemies?
We can love our enemies by praying for them, extending kindness towards them, practicing empathy (understanding their background and past experiences), being forgiving, focusing on our goals, setting boundaries (limiting dangerous contact), and remembering our own imperfections.
Love your enemies simply expresses radical and universal love. As followers of Jesus, we are called to practice this radical and universal love.
Love your enemies may not suit our human principles. In fact, it goes against human nature, but the scriptures say that to be carnally minded is death. Only the spiritual-minded man understands the radical character of unconditional love for all people.
Again, in this gospel, Jesus urges his disciples to be perfect, just as their Heavenly Father is perfect. While human perfection remains a process, the perfection referred to here is spiritual maturity seen in love and compassion. Love your enemies is not for spiritual babies. It is for men and women who are ready to abide by God’s law regardless of comfort and condition.
Precisely because of this, the first reading reminds us that we shall inherit life as God has promised if and only if we keep his commandments. The Psalmist adds, “They are happy who follow God’s law!” Loving your enemy is God’s law.
Let us pray
Turn our hearts to you, eternal Father, and grant that, seeking always the one thing necessary and carrying out works of charity, we may be dedicated to your worship. Amen.
Fr. Daniel Evbotokhai
