Tuesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
Loving When It Is Difficult
When we hear Jesus say in today’s Gospel, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” I think most of us have the same reaction: That sounds good, Jesus… but that is really hard. And the truth is, it is hard. When someone hurts us, speaks badly about us, betrays us, or treats us unfairly, something inside of us wants justice. We want to protect ourselves, and sometimes we even want the other person to experience the same pain they caused us. So when Jesus tells us to love our enemies, we can easily think, That may sound holy, but it is not easy to live.
Jesus understands that struggle. Notice that He does not say like your enemies. He does not say pretend nothing happened.He does not even say trust everyone who has hurt you. What He says is love them. And sometimes loving an enemy begins with something very small. It does not begin with warm feelings or immediate forgiveness. It begins with a decision — the decision not to hate, the decision not to let anger consume us, the decision to place that person before God and say, Lord, I cannot do this on my own, but help me not let bitterness take control of my heart.
That is why Jesus tells us to pray for those who hurt us. Sometimes prayer becomes the first step toward healing a wounded heart. The reality is that when we refuse to forgive, often the person who suffers the most is ourselves. Bitterness has a way of settling deep within us. But when we place even painful relationships into God’s hands, something begins to change within our own hearts.
Jesus never asks us to do what He Himself was unwilling to do. Hanging on the Cross, after being mocked, beaten, and crucified, He prayed, “Father, forgive them.” So yes, this Gospel is difficult. But holiness has never been about doing what is easy. It is about allowing God to slowly teach our hearts to love the way He loves. Sometimes the first step is simply praying, Lord, I am struggling with this person… help me take the first step.