Love Your Enemies

Matthew 5:43-48

Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Is this difficult? Not really. We have many today that we classify as street gangs, thieves, con men, all sorts that we would say are, our enemies. They are people just like you in every way, only difference they have no direction. Some would say that they chose to follow the path of evil. But then so do we, when we do not love our neighbor. Yet we are shown in the first reading how the LORD is merciful to Ahab, because he humbled himself. We do not know what motivates those who become enemies, what may spur them on to what they see as right in their eyes. Just like Ahab, he wasn't good, yet he found mercy.

When we do wrong to another aren't we then their enemy. Yet it takes love to love those who have become enemies. It takes prayer to renew the hearts of those who persecute. When we encounter troubles with others, what is the usual reaction, to lash out, to respond in kind to what they did. Jesus goes one better, he loved those who condemned him. While he was on the cross he still gave love to those who put him there. And he still went further than that, he forgave them. Can we love this way too? The Word of God is rich in bringing life to us. It shows us the way to love and to live peacefully among our brothers and sisters.