A friend of mine emailed me a poster he saw in a Church. It read, “when you enter this Church, it may be possible that you hear “the call of God.” However, it is unlikely that He will call you on your mobile. Thank you for turning off your phones. If you want to talk to God, enter, choose a quiet place and talk to Him. And if you want to see Him, send someone a text while driving.” Now that a good message.
Jesus uniquely shows us how to love our enemies. To love is to provide a helpful atmosphere that sees beyond stereotypes, politics and appearances and recognizes the spark of the divine no matter how “unlovable” people may seem.
In the Greek text of Matthew’s Gospel, the word for love is agape. That indicates an unconditional love for our fellow human beings, wishing them well.
You don’t have to like someone to love them. The agape that Jesus asks us to have means that, no matter how much someone upsets us, we will never let bitterness close our hearts nor seek anything but their good. This recognizes the humanity we share with Jesus and with all who call God “Our Father.” And as with Jesus, that love begins in our own homes, neighborhoods, workplaces.
Today's readings weave together the theme that we shall not hate, but love.
First the Book of Leviticus, one of the first five books in the Hebrew Torah or the Christian Pentateuch. The author demands that we be holy because God is holy.
Are we compassionate? Are we honest? Are we fair? We are created in the image of God, so we ought to reflect godly behavior in our daily lives.
St. Paul in his letter to the Christian community at Corinth in Greece proclaims that we are a living temple of God. The awesome Spirit of God dwells within us. Worldly wisdom pales in light of godly wisdom.
Paul concludes that all things are ours because we belong to Christ and Christ belongs to God. Paul challenges us to become living temples of God.
In the Gospel, Jesus makes radical demands upon us: love your enemies; if someone slaps you on one side of the face, offer the other; give to everyone who asks; do to others as you would have them do to you.
Who can possibly “give to everyone who asks?” A few people have tried to live these demands literally. For example, Francis of Assisi, Dorothy Day. But for most people, the demands don't seem practical.
Is it possible to do as Jesus asks, to "be perfect, just as our heavenly Father is perfect"?
St. Francis of Assisi made note of this challenge in his brief but beautiful essay on "Perfect Joy." He describes setbacks in very imperfect times, but he keeps focus. Francis concludes, "Above all the graces and gifts of the Holy Spirit which Christ gives to His friends is that of conquering oneself and enduring inescapable sufferings for the love of Christ."
So, how shall we understand the heart of these teachings of Jesus?
Remember that Jesus connects love of God with love for one another. The judgment scene of Matthew 25 says this loudly and clearly: when I was hungry, when I was thirsty, etc. We can’t say we love God and yet neglect fellow human beings in need.
Second, these ethical teachings have to be linked to the mission of Jesus. Jesus proclaims that the kingdom of God is in our midst. Yes, the kingdom is here but not completely or fully. You and I are living in-between the historical coming of Jesus in Bethlehem and the final coming of Jesus at the end-time. We live in the tension between.
Jesus indicates the goal or thrust of our behavior, but this goal may not always be achievable. "Giving to everyone" is not always possible, yet it does indicate the direction of our lives: be generous.
To the person who strikes you, Jesus says, offer the other side as well. Yet sometimes we have to stand up against wrongs, to fight evil: for example, Russia’s war crimes in the Ukraine. We may have to take someone’s life in self-defense. But the teaching of Jesus indicates again the thrust or direction of our lives. To try as much as possible to be peacemakers, healers, builders, reconcilers.
And so, the teachings of Jesus create tension between the present and final stages of the kingdom of God. The faithful disciple lives in this tension by seizing the many opportunities to do good each day.
To quote John Wesley: “Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.” Amen.
