Graced to try to "turn the other cheek"

The texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today bring a story of use of autocratic power to get what was desired and Matthew’s recounting of Jesus way of addressing the wrongs done us by our fellow humans.The psalmist proclaims “the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful.” This truth does not keep evil actions from affecting even the faithful. The exhortation of Jesus to “turn the other cheek” is truly challenging. He does not suggest that the wrongly attacked have a different authority to fight back on defend their case. The Prince of Peace sets a standard for peace which probably requires humans to transcend their humanity. Luckily, this is the grace foe those whose indwelling Spirit is intimate with the Divine Spirit. It is the Promise of Life!