4 March 2023 – Matthew 5:43-48
Today’s passage from the Sermon on the Mount may seem too idealistic. The Mosaic Law says that we should love our neighbour, it does not say that we should hate our enemies, but in practice such hatred is condoned. Jesus openly rejects this teaching: we must love our enemies and pray for them.
How can we do this? It is important to understand what ‘love’ and ‘enemy’ mean.
In Greek, the word agape expresses a deep love that gives itself for the sake of the other without expecting anything in return. It is not sexual, physical love (eros), nor is it the mutual love of intimate friendship or that between spouses (philia). ‘Enemy’ here means those who harm us in some way. The true Christian has no such enemy.
The main reason Jesus gives for acting in this way is that this is what God himself does.
If we want to get closer to God, we must be more like Him. And what does God do? He loves. God loves everyone, unconditionally, unlimitedly. The Lord is at the side of even the most hardened sinner, and is constantly there waiting for his conversion, waiting for the prodigal son to return home: God embraces him, clothes him, puts the ring back on his finger, the shoes back on his feet, and throws a big party. This is the heart of God! A Father’s heart, a heart that goes beyond our little concept of justice to open us up to the boundless horizons of his mercy. There is so much love in this immense heart that it will forgive anyone. There is no sin too great that cannot be forgiven: even the murder of one’s own Son. God’s inexhaustible love means that even from the most terrible of evils we can draw good. And this same feeling is also required of us: we must have so much love that we are able to forgive even those who have done us wrong.
But beware: Jesus does not ask us for resignation, he does not want injustice to triumph, but he does want us to adopt a merciful attitude capable of touching the heart of the aggressor and, of prompting him to think, to question his actions and, why not, perhaps to repent. It is a matter of “overcoming evil with good” (cf. Romans 12:21). Because the Gospel logic is to respond to evil by doing good, to respond positively to those who offend us.
For good workers…
“You shall love your neighbour as yourself”. That is: you will always love him, in every situation, even when he hurts you. You shall continue to love him with a love that goes so far as to pray for him, to ask God for good for him who persecutes us.
P JOBY KAVUNGAL RCJ