This week, we hear a powerful passage from Jesus’ great teaching from the Sermon on the Plain. It’s here where Jesus urges us to love our enemies, to do good to those who hate us, to bless those who curse us and to pray for those who mistreat us.
But it doesn’t stop there. There are about 11 more sayings like these that come one after the other, each one giving us much to think about. Stop judging, stop condemning, forgive freely, and give abundantly. It goes on and on. Taking them all together, it’s a little overwhelming. But, it does moves us to ask the hard questions: Can we really be the kind of person Jesus asks us to be? Does this kind of person exist?
In society today, we might be quick to say no. We turn on the TV to messages about hating enemies, doing harm to those who don’t agree, cursing those who curse us with no mercy for those who mistreat us. It seems to be becoming the norm, not the exception. And it’s not just things we see on TV, but it’s happening in our everyday world, too.
But…despite that…there is still a different way. As Catholics, we are bearers of hope in our world. We believe in the human spirit. Because, as Catholics, we go to Jesus Christ who has the truth about life. And so, we must seriously consider that what he says isn’t an ideal that can’t be lived, but can be lived. Maybe it’s in how we look at it.
The last few Sundays, we’ve been hearing what it means to be blessed and what it means to love. In homilies, and in my own reflective prayer, I find myself repeating St. Thomas Aquinas’ profound thoughts about what Christian love is—that it’s a choice to want what’s best for someone else. And maybe that’s the measure Jesus is asking us to use. We have the capacity to love, so it’s a response we can use, not just in certain cases, but broadly.
Jesus’ teaching is difficult, without a doubt. But, we can’t dismiss it as “pie in the sky.” We should let it hit the heart, soul and mind, and let it penetrate and challenge our very selves. A wise friend of mine said something that resonated with me. She said, “The Kingdom of God comes alive whenever we reach out and do anything that remotely speaks of love.” Maybe that’s because it pulls us out of ourselves to connect us to God and others.
In the end, love overcomes hate. Good wins over evil. Peace is greater than war. It’s the reality of Jesus’ life story. And His life lives within us now, in whom we have communion. Like St. Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13), even to want what’s best for my enemy and those who hurt me.