LOVE YOUR ENEMY
«But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you». What can we believers do in the face of these words of Jesus? Cut them out of the Gospel? Wipe them out of the depth of our consciences? Put them off for better times?
Not much changes in the various cultures concerning our basic stance before the «enemy», that is before someone of whom we can only expect some damage. The Athenian Lisias (5th century AD) expresses the common conception in ancient Greece with a formula that could be easily welcomed today by many: «I consider as an established norm that one should work at damaging your enemies and be at the service of your friends».
That’s why we must point out all the more the revolutionary importance that is contained in the Gospel command to love your enemy, considered by exegetes as clearest example of the Christian message.
When Jesus speaks about loving the enemy, he’s not thinking about a feeling of affection and kindness toward him, but surely about a human attitude of positive interest for his wellbeing.
Jesus thinks that a person is human when love is at the base of her whole activity. And of course the relationship with enemies shouldn’t be an exception. Whoever is deeply human respects the dignity of the enemy, no matter how disfigured they may present themselves. We don’t adopt a posture of the exclusion of cursing him, but an attitude of blessing.
And it’s precisely this love that reaches all and really seeks the good of all without exception, the most human support that can be brought into society by one who is inspired by Jesus’ Gospel.
There are situations when this love for enemy seems impossible. We are all too wounded to be able to forgive. We need time to recover peace. This is the moment to remember that we too live by God’s patience and forgiveness.
José Antonio Pagola
Translator: Fr. Jay VonHandorf
