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Gospel: Luke 6:27-38
Jesus said to his disciples:
“To you who hear I say, love your enemies,
do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you,
pray for those who mistreat you.
To the person who strikes you on one cheek,
offer the other one as well,
and from the person who takes your cloak,
do not withhold even your tunic.
Give to everyone who asks of you,
and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back.
Do to others as you would have them do to you.
For if you love those who love you,
what credit is that to you?
Even sinners love those who love them.
And if you do good to those who do good to you,
what credit is that to you?
Even sinners do the same.
If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment,
what credit is that to you?
Even sinners lend to sinners,
and get back the same amount.
But rather, love your enemies and do good to them,
and lend expecting nothing back;
then your reward will be great
and you will be children of the Most High,
for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.
Be merciful, just as also your Father is merciful.
“Stop judging and you will not be judged.
Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.
Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give and gifts will be given to you;
a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing,
will be poured into your lap.
For the measure with which you measure
will in return be measured out to you.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Tomorrow is the 25th anniversary of 9/11. I’ll be traveling into New York City with some friends who lost a family member that day.
When tragedies like 9/11 happen, or other senseless acts of violence like a random stabbing in Times Square, we often turn to God.
Some blame him for allowing these things to happen. Others begin to long more ardently for heaven, a place of permanent peace without guns, knives, or planes used as missiles.
But we should also turn to God, recognizing just how difficult – yet important – it is to forgive.
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As the Lord says in today’s Gospel, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who persecute you, pray for those who mistreat you.”
Jesus had to know such ideas are impossible for the natural human heart. Some might even call them ridiculous.
Yet we also know what it feels like to have a heart seething with anger, or worse, hatred fueled by an ardent desire for revenge.
Feeling this way does nothing to improve our health, our outlook on life, or our overall sense of peace; rather, such negativity only makes it worse, like pouring salt into an open wound.
In the least, we can deduce that doing the opposite of what Christ teaches us – hating our enemies instead of loving them – will not fulfill us in the end. Just ask anyone who bears hatred in their heart how happy they really are.
It’s a humbling truth to accept, but loving our enemies may be the only way to find lasting peace. Yet we also know it’s something God alone can do, because he is the Father of us all.
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Yes, this is a difficult message to preach – and much harder to live.
But 25 years later, we aren’t we being called to recognize our need to become ever more like Christ?
Which means replacing – in the words of the prophet Ezekiel – our “stony hearts” with his merciful, compassionate, loving heart.
Humble us, O LORD.
Make us more and more like you so that peace may come – not only to foreign lands or even to our own nation, but also to the soil of our very own hearts, too often broken by tragedy.
Give us the grace to cling – not only to the desire for heaven where permanent peace reigns – but also to take responsibility for working for it while we are still here on earth.
Most Sacred Heart of Christ, pray for us.
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Image credits: (1) Freedomandglory.com (2) 9/11 Memorial (3) Chaldean Diocese of Saint Thomas
