Loving Our Enemies - Weekday Homily Video

There is something about us as human beings, whether you are a Christian or any other religion. We can call it a universal problem: that is, the hatred we feel for other people, hatred that wells up inside us and propels us in the direction of destructive actions toward people who might have harmed us in some way. Nevertheless, these are fellow human beings who we must live with in society or community.

Try to imagine for yourself, an individual you hate or just can’t stand, someone who irritates you to no end, who you resent and feel bitterness towards. I am sure most of us have someone like that, in many cases multiple people in our lives who cause us anger or hatred or at least resentment, for something they have, or they keep doing to us.  

Pray for Them

In today’s Gospel Jesus invites us to do the hardest and radical thing. “Love your enemy”, “Pray for them”. Jesus is talking about people we really dislike, in any way. Maybe someone who has disrespected you, betrayed you, harassed you or discriminates against you, for those kinds of situations in most cases we find ourselves brooding with anger and ressentiment. These don’t need to be strangers but even people we hold dear to us, parents, spouses or loved ones, coworkers.

• Loving your enemy implies that you find it in your heart to put aside any wrongs, to show love for the other person. It is treating others not as they deserve but as God wishes them to be treated, with loving kindness and mercy.
• We all know God is good to the unjust as well as the just. His love embraces saints and sinners alike. God seeks the highest good and teaches us to seek the greatest good of others especially those we have fallen out with.
• God is not inviting us to just accommodate them in our lives but to treat them with grace that transforms lives. Jesus forgave those who had done all kinds of nasty things against him. He is telling us that our prayer for those who do us ill, both breaks the power of revenge and resentment and gives us the courage to return evil with good.

Prayer Heals

Why should we love our enemies? Tell this to people in conflict zones who have watched their loved ones killed or murdered in cold blood. How would they bring themselves to love those who have committed those atrocities? This isn’t an easy thing to reflect on much less living it out. Prayer heals and has the power to transform situations from calamities into blessings. Holding anger in is destructive; inwardly it eats us up, while outwardly might cause us to do things that are unpleasant, and shameful.

Loving Unconditionally

Removing that anger from within makes us happy and at peace with ourselves. Loving as a grace from God softens our stony hearts and moves us from reacting with vengeance to responding with Christ-like mercy. Loving enemies is a fruit of prayer. When we pray for our enemies, it changes how we see them. It makes it incredibly difficult to harbor bitterness when actively asking God’s blessings upon oneself. Prayer empowers us to love unconditionally, not expecting anything in return other than transformation of hearts.

We do need the grace and humility to be perfect as our heavenly Father, perfect here is being able to mature in God’s love so that our love can encompass everyone much like God does. Our love for others, even those who are ungrateful and selfish towards us, must be marked by the same kindness and mercy which God has shown us.

• Today’s Readings
  
  
• Father Fulgens's inspirational homily was recorded live during Mass at the Father Peyton Center this morning. You can view the Mass (and the Rosary at the 30-minute mark) on the Family Rosary YouTube page.
  
  
• To join the Rosary and Mass Livestream, visit the Family Rosary YouTube or Facebook page at 11:30 a.m. Eastern, Monday – Friday. Consider inviting others to join, too! (*If you are not a member of Facebook and a signup window appears, simply select the X at the top of the pop-up message and continue to the livestream.)