Love Your Enemies

Our readings of today base on a very difficult aspect of Christian religion, the aspect that differentiate and distinguish Christianity from other religions. This is love of both one’s friends and one’s enemies. Love is the foundation of Christ’s teachings, setting Christianity apart with its radical call to embrace even those who oppose us.

Our first reading of today is a narration of how David spared the life of King Saul who was after his life. It so happened that David’s great successes on the battlefield made him very popular with the people. And as a result, King Saul was blinded by jealousy and anger, he saw David as a threat and sought to get rid of him. On this particular occasion David had the opportunity to kill Saul. For Saul was sleeping and David entered the tent where he was sleeping.

David could have easily killed King Saul, but he didn’t do so because of the regards he had for God’s anointed. Even Abishai advised David to kill him, but David saw the incident as a test of his reverence for God’s anointed. He refused to get rid of Saul his enemy, despite the fact that Saul was looking for his life.
David respected what Saul represented, even though Saul was unworthy representative. To kill him would be an offence against God. This is an example of forgiveness of one’s enemies.

How many of us would act today towards an enemy as David acted towards his arch-enemy whom he had never offended? David’s behavior shows the greatest of his heart. He was a man of magnanimity. His largeness of spirit and his forgiving heart won for him the friendship of God, even though unworthy he was.

The shortest way to become like God is to forgive those who wrong us. St John Chrysotom said this in one of his homilies: “Nothing makes us like unto God so much as being always ready to forgive”.
David’s largeness of spirit and his forgiving heart in the first reading, prepares us for the Gospel which contains Jesus’ injunction to love our enemies. The ideal of love to which His followers must aspire is that of God Himself. We are to love as God loves. Christians forgiveness requires not only a refusal to take vengeance, but also a response of love for the enemy, not only passivity in the face of insult and wrong, but the most eloquent moral response that can be given: affection and prayer for the one who is the enemy. If we follow Christ we have to forgive our enemies. If we forgive our enemies, only then are we followers of Christ.

What Jesus highlights today are the elements that differentiate and distinguish Christianity from all religions. That is doctine of non-retaliation. This is a very difficult teaching. The most difficult and challenging part of Christian life lies on this radical love demanded and prescribed by Jesus for His followers. Many have found Christianity too difficult because of this new definition of love given by Jesus. How could one love anyone who horribly hurt one in the past? How can we love the person who is responsible for our woes and misfortunes? Are these laws practicable?

This is what David did according to the first reading of today. He practiced this noble law of non-retaliation. David, like many good men, had other weaknesses. But his sense of reverence for God, as well as everything and everyone that belongs to God was among his many virtues. David never regarded King Saul as his enemy. As Christians, we too shouldn’t make any enemies for ourselves even when some treat us with hostility. Though we can not actually stop someone hating us, the obligation on us to love universally and be holy or perfect as our heavenly Father, will not allow us to pay evil for evil.

When we hate our enemies and resent them, we end up hurting ourselves far more than we hurt our enemies. Our hatred is not hurting our enemies at all. It only turns our own lives into a hellish turmoil.
Indeed, when we hate our enemies we give them power over us — power over our sleep, power over our blood pressure, power over our happiness, etc. Hatred is a very dangerous thing. It burns up a hundred times more energy than love. In fact, to love our enemies is not for their sake but for our own sake, because hatred poisons and makes the heart sick. Therefore, as Christians we should not see anybody as our enemies. Only the devil is our enemy. It is only him and his work of iniquity we must hate with perfect hatred. No man on earth must be regarded as our enemy.

That is why Christ is telling us today to pray for those who persecute us. And if we really want to be Christians we have no other alternative than to follow Christ’s injunction on this. It’s sad seeing so called Christians today cursing their enemies in the name of God. Some call Holy Ghost fire over their enemies.

We hear Christians today quoting some Old Testament’s passages to justify cursing their enemies. Christ has come to tell us the mind of God. Since we are followers of Christ we have the obligation to follow Him.
May the Lord Jesus help us to love as He loves. Amen!
Stay blessed 🙏