Word to the Wise
Tuesday, June 16, 2015 - Tuesday in the 11th Week in Ordinary Time
[2 Cor 8:1-9 and Matt 5:43-48]"You have heard that it was said: You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy." But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you that you may be children of your heavenly Father."
One of the distinctive features of the Sermon on the Mount is the pattern of statements, "You have heard that it was said...But I say to you...." It is the second part of that pattern that can make a person uncomfortable or at least feel challenged because Jesus' admonition seems either counterintuitive or idealistic! "Love and pray for one's enemies?" Hmmmmm..... "Pray for those who persecute you?" Well, maybe we can remember that Jesus did exactly that from the cross!
The Sermon on the Mount can show us just how human and shaped by the world around us we can be. "Revenge is sweet," we learn. "Hate the competition,," employees are told as a way of motivating them to greater efforts. Family feuds that last for generations are another example. Jesus challenges us to realize that such hatreds and oppositions are counter to the identity of a child of God, which we are by virtue of our baptism. Confronting our prejudices and dislikes is never easy, but if we are serious about our faith and desire to follow Jesus, this confrontation is necessary and beneficial! AMEN