Loving Those Who Do Not Love You
7th Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle A
Jesus said to his disciples:
“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.” Mt 5:38–48.
There were two seminarians who were once best friends but became best of enemies for one trivial forgotten misunderstanding. Through their long years of formation, they did not reconcile and managed to avoid each other. However once ordained they were both assigned as professors in the same seminary. They stayed together like this until they both retired in the house for old priests. One morning as both were celebrating private masses side by side but on separate altars, one of them had a stroke and fell to the ground. The other after a long hesitation bent down to help. But the fallen priest before finally dying muttered “Don’t you dare touch me, you son of a $%#@!” Such is the end of a good man who wouldn’t forgive his enemy.
Forgiveness is hard to do. No less than our Lord died in forgiving those who crucified Him. We too will feel pain if we forgive those who offend us. But unless we forgive, no matter how good we are we eventually become bitter and end literally without a heart much like the unforgiving priest above.
The Lord is kind and merciful, we say in the Responsorial Psalm. In forgiving we become like the Lord. Don’t we often say: To err is human and to forgive is divine.
And in Leviticus we are encouraged to be like the Lord. “Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy.” Lv 19:1-2, 17-18 In his letter to Corinth St. Paul says: “Do you not know that you are the temple of God… the temple of God, which you are, is holy.” 1 Cor 3:16-23
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