Radical Love

Matthew 5:43-48

Jesus said, “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, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

Today’s Gospel reading is part of the Sermon on the Mount and a powerful reminder of the radical call to love that Jesus invites us to embrace. Jesus teaches that loving those who love us is not enough. He challenges us to love even our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us.

Jesus’ command to love our enemies is, if we are honest, incredibly difficult. In fact, it can seem impossible at times. We live in a time when those with a different look, a different voice, or a different way of thinking are not only seen as enemies, but are dehumanized as other. Our human nature often leads us to respond to hatred with more hatred, to respond to violence with more violence. But Jesus calls us to a different way, a way of love and compassion.

To be clear, this love is not a condoning of harm or an approval of injustice. It simply means that we choose to respond with love instead of hate or seeking revenge.
When we pray for those who have hurt us, we aren’t absolving their actions. Rather, we are freeing ourselves from the weight of bitterness. We are choosing to see them as a fellow human beings—broken, perhaps, as we all are, but most importantly, as fellow children of God—standing under the same rain and the same sun as we are.

Lent is our season of “heart-turning.” It is the time when we allow the Holy Spirit to reorient our hearts, moving us from the narrowness of our own grievances to the vast, inclusive love of God.

As we journey through this season of Lent, let us reflect on how we can love more fully, especially those who are difficult to love. May we ask God for the grace to forgive those who have hurt us and to love our enemies as God loves them.

Faithfully,
Rose+

prayer

O God, by your Word you marvelously carry out the work of reconciliation: Grant that in our Lenten fast we may be devoted to you with all our hearts, and united with one another in prayer and holy love; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Daily Lenten meditations each have a companion morning prayer video offered by the same clergy.  View the YouTube playlist to find this meditation’s companion video, or to watch others.