"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, .." (Matthew 5:43-44)
The love of one's enemy is one of the hard teachings found in Christianity. Tracing it to the teachings of the Old Testament account, there is no Old Testament books or Rabbinic text which instructs us to "hate our enemies", but the Old Testament restrict love of neighbour to the fellow Israelites (cf. Leviticus 19:17ff.) and demands extermination of those conquered in the war for fear of attraction to their cult (cf. Deuteronomy 7:2).
In the light of this scenario, the Gospel reading of today which serves as the antithesis of the Sermon of the Mount called to mind the need to forgive one another as long as we are seeking God's forgiveness.
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, .." (Matthew 5:43-44)
As the Psalmist says: " If God were to mark our iniquities, who would be survive?" (Psalm 130:3).
In allusion to this, the story of Ahab the King of Israel who through his wife Jezebel killed Naboth the Jezreelite to inherit his vineyard (cf. 1 Kings 21:1-16), continued with a call to "let go" that is forgiveness in today's first reading, as God forgave him saying, "I will not bring the evil in his days" (I Kings 21:29). This is God in action, and invitation to us to forgive no matter how hurtful it may be.
Though it is a strong teching, but we need to make sincere effort to let go, for in letting go of the wrongs others inflicted on us, that we can receive in abundance the forgiving touch of the Divine. Peace be with you!
Let us pray
Eternal God, thank You for the gift of Your Son who reconciled us. Grant we pray the grace to forgive others as we continuously seeking for the forgiveness of our trespasses. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
© The ARCHIVE 14062022
Thanks Padre for this touching reflection. May God grant us heart of forgiveness. Amen
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