The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with the value of spiritual discipline to connect us with the Spirit on a regular basis so we might understand and live the Law of Love.
The reading from the Book of Deuteronomy is the concluding Exhortation of the Covenant.
See . [26:16–19] Dt 7:6; 8:6; 10:12–13; 11:22; 14:2; 27:9; 28:1, 9; 29:12–13; Ex 6:7; 19:5–6; 24:7; Lv 26:12; 2 Sm 7:24; Jer 7:23; 31:33; Ez 11:20; Hos 2:23. (Deuteronomy, CHAPTER 26, n.d.)
Psalm 119 praises the Glories of God’s Law.
* [Psalm 119] This Psalm, the longest by far in the Psalter, praises God for giving such splendid laws and instruction for people to live by. The author glorifies and thanks God for the Torah, prays for protection from sinners enraged by others’ fidelity to the law, laments the cost of obedience, delights in the law’s consolations, begs for wisdom to understand the precepts, and asks for the rewards of keeping them. (Psalms, PSALM 119, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus calls us to have Love for Enemies.
* [5:43–48] See Lv 19:18. There is no Old Testament commandment demanding hatred of one’s enemy, but the “neighbor” of the love commandment was understood as one’s fellow countryman. Both in the Old Testament (Ps 139:19–22) and at Qumran (1QS 9:21) hatred of evil persons is assumed to be right. Jesus extends the love commandment to the enemy and the persecutor. His disciples, as children of God, must imitate the example of their Father, who grants his gifts of sun and rain to both the good and the bad.
* [5:46] Tax collectors: Jews who were engaged in the collection of indirect taxes such as tolls and customs. See note on Mk 2:14.
* [5:47] Jesus’ disciples must not be content with merely usual standards of conduct; see Mt 5:20 where the verb “surpass” (Greek perisseuĊ) is cognate with the unusual (perisson) of this verse.
* [5:48] Perfect: in the gospels this word occurs only in Matthew, here and in Mt 19:21. The Lucan parallel (Lk 6:36) demands that the disciples be merciful. (Matthew, CHAPTER 5, n.d.)
Vivian Amu asks how can we love someone who hurts us so profoundly that we can barely face another day? It is not easy. It leaves us feeling that there is no justice for the one who has felt persecuted. However, maybe God doesn't require us to forget our hurts. God might just be asking us to consider love as a point of healing for ourselves and others. God might be asking us to consider freeing ourselves from the bondage of hate and pain so we can rest.
Yes, some of God’s children are naughty, to say the least, but I know that I am not always the just one, the good one, the forgiving one, the understanding one. Even though I try to live out my baptism and try my best to be a good person each day, I could also end up being someone's enemy or even persecuting another for any number of reasons, especially out of fear or pain. When I find myself in that dark place with the role of “enemy” or “persecutor,” I know I would crave love and mercy, even though it is undeserved. I know that my soul would long for prayers from anyone who would make room and see fit to forgive me and love me anyway.
Merciful God, we pray that those who have hurt us in whatever way may receive your mercy. Amen. (Amu, 2023)
Don Schwager quotes “The gift to love all people - even enemies,” by Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Beg God for the gift to love one another. Love all people, even your enemies, not because they are your brothers and sisters but that they may become such. Love them in order that you may be at all times on fire with love, whether toward those who have become your brothers and sisters or toward your enemies, so that by being beloved they may become your brothers and sisters." (excerpt from Sermon on 1 John 10,7) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 5:43-48 comments that we have all suffered injuries—often from the people who ought to love us most. In fact, G. K. Chesterton once joked that Jesus told us to love both our neighbor and our enemy “because these are generally the same person.” Chesterton knew that the command to follow Jesus’ example by loving our enemies is where the rubber hits the road.
You know that loving your enemy means going beyond your natural drives toward revenge or self-pity when a person insults you or hurts you in some other way. So how can you change?
One possible answer is to ask the Spirit to give you a share in his own love, generosity, and mercy. A good prayer might be, “Holy Spirit, help me to see my ‘enemy’ as you do.” This doesn’t mean excusing that person’s actions or pretending that they didn’t really hurt you. What it does mean is acknowledging the pain, trying to hand it over to Jesus, and making the attempt—even if it is small at first—to treat that person with respect and love.
Jesus isn’t asking you to convince yourself that your “enemy” is innocent. He simply says, “Love” (Matthew 5:44). He asks us to live as he did, and that’s not always easy. But the Spirit will help us until we are perfect, as Jesus is.
“Holy Spirit, help me to love my enemies.” (Meditation on Matthew 5:43-48, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler discusses the presentation of the Covenant by Moses that exhorts the Israelites to choose life or death as the consequence of their acceptance or rejection of God. Our transformation to love for enemies involves a desire to help heal the brokenness of those who live with hatred. Friar Jude reminds us that we are not called to perfectionism but to be perfect in our Love.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces CAC faculty emerita Cynthia Bourgeault who has long embraced chanting psalms as a powerful, embodied spiritual practice. She describes how this practice first emerged from the desert monks of early Christianity. Reciting the psalms was almost as regular as breathing. We know that the manner of this recitation probably involved a form of chanting because of a specific comment made by the desert father Evagrius (345–400): “It is a great thing to pray without distraction but to chant psalms without distraction is even greater.” [1] …
Within these earliest monastic traditions, then, the psalms—whether chanted alone or in the assembly—formed the basis not only for celebration and proclamation, but for an entrance into contemplative prayer and the work of inner transformation by focusing the mind within the words of the psalm. They became the chief building blocks through which anamnesis, living memory, was attained and maintained. (Rohr, 2023)
We may find ourselves in tension as we work through interpersonal conflict with others and we seek the peace that comes from working on Jesus' assertion that we love our enemies.
References
Amu, V. (2023, March 4). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved March 4, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/030423.html
Deuteronomy, CHAPTER 26. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved March 4, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/deuteronomy/26?16
Matthew, CHAPTER 5. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved March 4, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/5?
Meditation on Matthew 5:43-48. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved March 4, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/03/04/625437/
Psalms, PSALM 119. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved March 4, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/119?1
Rohr, R. (2023, March 4). The Desert Mystics: Weekly Summary — Center for Action and Contemplation. Cac.org. Retrieved March 4, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/copy-testing-in-the-desert-copy-2023-03-04/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Love and Pray for Your Enemies. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 4, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=mar4
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