Love of Enemies

Today's Reflections

Love of Enemies 

http://www.graceandspace.org

Lk 6:27-38

[Jesus said to his disciples,] ²⁷“But to you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. ²⁹To 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. ³⁰Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. ³¹Do to others as you would have them do to you. ³²For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. ³³And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. ³⁴If 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. ³⁵But 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. ³⁶Be merciful, just as [also] your Father is merciful.

³⁷“Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. ³⁸Give 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.”

Reflection:

Love your enemies. The Gospel tells us to examine how much we love or how we love, for that matter. We are called to love God. Love for God is manifested by the way we love our neighbors. How? Jesus tells us “to do good.” This means that we must not be selective in doing good. We must not be choosy whom we have to help, to pray for, to take care of. No matter what a person does to us, no matter if he hurts or insults us, we must continue to accept, understand, or forgive that person. Our love must assume a Christian character: not in feeling good but in doing good to others no matter what. Like what Jesus preaches and does, our love must be compassionate, unconditional, limitless, healing, and forgiving.

Can you claim that you can love your enemies and forgive them?

How do you feel when somebody forgives you?