WAIT WHAT? LOVE YOUR ENEMIES?

Pepito Thelly from Starkville, Mississippi looks at how we can love those who hurt us.

WISE WORDS

Most, if not all, of us, have enemies or people that we don’t get on with, in our lives. Jesus tells us, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44) Wait what? Love your enemies? How am I supposed to love the people that are openly hostile to me? Most of us say its just too difficult and ignore the idea of loving our enemies. The truth is that Jesus, in his infinite wisdom, knew what he was talking about.

LOVE THEM

 Jesus never tells us to like our enemies. There is a big difference between the words ‘like’ and ‘love’. Like is an action. For example, you might say, “I like football” or “I like basketball”. Love, on the other hand, is wanting what is best for the other person. When Jesus tells us to love our enemies, He means we should desire what is best for them and forgive them. 

SAINT JOHN PAUL II 

When we pray for those who are mean to us, we will in turn receive love from them. A good example can be found in the life of Saint John Paul II. In 1981, the Turkish terrorist Mehmet Ali Agca attempted to kill him. Two years later, John Paul II visited him in his jail cell and forgave him. Later on, in 2005, when the Pope was hospitalized with flu, Agca sent him a message wishing him a speedy recovery. The Pope said, “Thanks to the healing power of love, even the most wounded heart can experience the liberating encounter with forgiveness.” 

BLESSED MOTHER THERESA 

Another example can be found in the life of Blessed Mother Teresa. One day, she went to a wealthy baker to ask for bread for a needy child. The baker spit in her face and scolded her. Mother Teresa patiently and lovingly said, “Thank you for that gift to me, now how about something for the child?” The baker later donated money to help Blessed Mother Teresa with her work. Mother Teresa once wrote, “People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered. Love them anyway.” In many cases, love is the only solution to our problems with our enemies.

A COMMANDMENT

By loving our enemies we are keeping one of the most important commandments to love our neighbors as ourselves. St Paul explains it like this, “The commandments, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Romans 13:9)

Prayer

Lord, please help me to be more loving to my enemies. In a time of conflict, help me to be more like You in forgiving them, because they don’t know what they are doing. I thank you for all the blessings of forgiveness that You are going to shower upon me. Amen