Love for Enemies

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to contemplate the characteristics of the followers of the Way that radiate radical love and inclusion.

Life Love and Inclusion

The Reading from the First Book of Kings is Prophetic Condemnation of the Action of the King.

* [21:20–26] In these verses the narrator uses against the third Israelite dynasty the same condemnation formula that was uttered against the first two dynasties, those of Jeroboam (14:9–11) and Baasha (16:2–4). Part of the formula is put in Elijah’s mouth, in an oracle against Ahab and his descendants (vv. 21–22), and part of it in an aside to the reader that extends the condemnation to Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, and his whole household (vv. 23–24). The oracle against Jezebel will be fulfilled in 2 Kgs 9:36; the obliteration of the dynasty will be recounted in the bloody stories of 2 Kgs 9–11. (1 Kings, CHAPTER 21 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 51 prays for the removal of the personal and social disorders that sin has brought.

* [Psalm 51] A lament, the most famous of the seven Penitential Psalms, prays for the removal of the personal and social disorders that sin has brought. The poem has two parts of approximately equal length: Ps 51:3–10 and Ps 51:11–19, and a conclusion in Ps 51:20–21. The two parts interlock by repetition of “blot out” in the first verse of each section (Ps 51:3, 11), of “wash (away)” just after the first verse of each section (Ps 51:4) and just before the last verse (Ps 51:9) of the first section, and of “heart,” “God,” and “spirit” in Ps 51:12, 19. The first part (Ps 51:3–10) asks deliverance from sin, not just a past act but its emotional, physical, and social consequences. The second part (Ps 51:11–19) seeks something more profound than wiping the slate clean: nearness to God, living by the spirit of God (Ps 51:12–13), like the relation between God and people described in Jer 31:33–34. Nearness to God brings joy and the authority to teach sinners (Ps 51:15–16). Such proclamation is better than offering sacrifice (Ps 51:17–19). The last two verses express the hope that God’s good will toward those who are cleansed and contrite will prompt him to look favorably on the acts of worship offered in the Jerusalem Temple (Ps 51:19 [20–21]). (Psalms, CHAPTER 51 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus asserts that we practice Love of 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 perisseuō) 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 | USCCB, n.d.)

Joan Blandin Howard comments this is a strong directive. Further on in Matthew’s gospel we hear Jesus say,  “…love your neighbor as you love yourself”…(Matthew 22:37-40). 

Demanding words, especially in today’s world where there is daily bombing, violence, ongoing judgement, hunger, starvation, belittling and little apparent evidence of universal love of neighbor and prayer for enemy.  Hate may seem more productive, seem easier, as it is often more visible. Praying for one’s enemies is challenging. Often invisible.

In addition to the difficult directive to love one’s neighbors and pray for one’s enemies, there is an invitation.  Jesus invites us into familial relationship with his father.  This is the way children of the heavenly father behave. Love and pray for one’s neighbors and enemies. “…that you may be children of your heavenly Father…” who treats “…the bad and the good…and the just and the unjust…” equally.  We hear of this incredible relationship between Father and Son.  Amazingly, we are invited to share as “children” in this relationship.

Sitting with this image, in the imaginative prayer experience of being a child of the Father and sister of the Son, I prayerfully experience myself as a lover and pray-er no longer a judge. I feel the Father saying, “Joan, in my house, we do not hate. In my house all are equally loved.” (Blandin Howard, 2026)

Don Schwager quotes “Pray for those who persecute you,” by John Chrysostom, 347-407 A.D.

"For neither did Christ simply command to love but to pray. Do you see how many steps he has ascended and how he has set us on the very summit of virtue? Mark it, numbering from the beginning. A first step is not to begin with injustice. A second, after one has begun, is not to vindicate oneself by retaliating in kind. A third, to refuse to respond in kind to the one who is injuring us but to remain tranquil. A fourth, even to offer up one's self to suffer wrongfully. A fifth, to give up even more than the wrongdoer wishes to take. A sixth, to refuse to hate one who has wronged us. A seventh, even to love such a one. An eighth, even to do good to that one. A ninth, to entreat God himself on our enemy's behalf. Do you perceive how elevated is a Christian disposition? Hence its reward is also glorious. (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 18.4) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 5:43-48 comments that before we could do anything to please you, you loved us. Even though you knew that we would turn to our own ways and separate ourselves from you, you did not turn your heart away from us.

“Jesus has called me to be perfect as you are perfect, heavenly Father. If he asks this of me, I believe you will equip me. And so I ask that you fill me with your love and mercy and faithfulness. Let your life within me change my heart so that it resembles yours. Lord, perfect me in your perfection!

“Father, you are perfect in all of your ways, and you are my example of perfection. Make me like you so that I can follow in your perfect footsteps.” (Meditation on Matthew 5:43-48, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments in 1 Kings we learn of Jezebel’s plot and now Elijah must confront King Ahab. The punishment will be terrible and the dogs will take retribution on the deceased body of Ahab. There was not a stable dynasty in Israel at this time and when a prophet proclaimed disaster a King might be overthrown. In the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus extends the Law to extend love to everybody. We usually find it easy to express love to those from whom we expect a return. Jesus says we especially need to treat those who do not treat us well with love as we show them total generosity. Friar Jude recounts the explanation of “Perfect Joy” described by Francis of Assisi that recognized when we still love others when we have received disrespect from them. Francis is also thrilled that the brokenness of the brother can be shared by Francis taking some of his brother’s hurt and woundedness upon himself.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces religious scholar Huston Smith who describes how the first Christians spread the gospel message through their happiness, beyond any particular words they shared. Smith highlights two remarkable qualities witnessed in the first Christians:

One of the earliest observations by an outsider about Christians that we have is, “See how these Christians love one another.” Integral to this mutual regard was a total absence of social barriers; it was a discipleship of equals. Here were men and women who not only said that everyone was equal in the sight of God but who lived as though they meant it.

Outsiders found this baffling. These scattered Christians were not numerous. They were not wealthy or powerful, and they were in constant danger of being killed. Yet they had laid hold of an inner peace that found expression in a joy that was uncontainable. Perhaps “radiant” would be a better word. “Radiance” is hardly the word used to characterize the average religious life, but no other word fits as well the life of these early Christians.(Rohr, n.d.)

We implore the Spirit to guide our presentation of Christ in the world by the phrase “they will know we are Christians by our Love”.

References

Blandin Howard, J. (2026, June 16). Daily Reflection June 16, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved June 16, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-june-16-2026 

Matthew, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved June 16, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/5?43 

Meditation on Matthew 5:43-48. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved June 16, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/06/15/1592497/ 

1 Kings, CHAPTER 21 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved June 16, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1kings/21?17 

Psalms, CHAPTER 51 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved June 16, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/51?3 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Living Out the Good News. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 16, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/living-out-the-good-news/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Love Your Enemies and Pray for Them. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 16, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

 

Love Response to Evil

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to respond to the injustice and greed we witness and experience with care and concern for our persecutor. 

Love Changes Persecution

The Reading from the First Book of Kings presents the Seizure of Naboth’s Vineyard.

* [21:1–16] The story tells how Jezebel manipulates important structures of Israelite social order, law, and religious observance to eliminate a faithful Israelite landowner who frustrates Ahab’s will.

* [21:3] Heritage: Hebrew naḥalah. Naboth is unwilling to sell or exchange his vineyard. According to the Israelite system of land tenure and distribution, land was held in common within a social unit. The ancestral naḥalah was not private property, to be alienated at will. (1 Kings, CHAPTER 21 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 5 is a prayer for the protection and joy of the Temple.

* [Psalm 5] A lament contrasting the security of the house of God (Ps 5:8–9, 12–13) with the danger of the company of evildoers (Ps 5:5–7, 10–11). The psalmist therefore prays that God will hear (Ps 5:2–4) and grant the protection and joy of the Temple. (Psalms, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus Teaching in the Sermon on the Mount is About Retaliation.

* [5:38–42] See Lv 24:20. The Old Testament commandment was meant to moderate vengeance; the punishment should not exceed the injury done. Jesus forbids even this proportionate retaliation. Of the five examples that follow, only the first deals directly with retaliation for evil; the others speak of liberality.

* [5:41] Roman garrisons in Palestine had the right to requisition the property and services of the native population. (Matthew, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB, n.d.)

Barbara Dilly comments that Jesus says no to violence as the first resort. Jesus also says no to resisting evil. But by advocating non-violence, he does not ask us to give up our dignity. He asks us to show restraint and to demand respect by not returning insults and evil. He wants us to break the cycle of retaliation and to engage in peacemaking in a creative and dignified manner. This is far from being passive. It is a radical response that asserts an unconventional power by refusing to be the one who is humiliated. It changes the terms of the interaction based on love as a new way of relating to others. It invites them to consider their actions on different terms.

Unfortunately, not every evil situation lets us do this. Non-violence is difficult for us to think about and even more difficult to put into action. That does not mean we should not take Jesus seriously on this. We can learn to reflect on our experiences of injustice, to practice non-violence and to show love to our enemies. There are books we can read and classes we can take that show us significant ways in which non-violence has brought about significant social and political change around the world and even in America. But it starts with our hearts first. I pray today that we will all try to become more like Jesus in this way. (Dilly, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “You tear yourself apart by hating,” by an anonymous early author from the Greek church.

"We have seen how murder is born from anger and adultery from desire. In the same way, the hatred of an enemy is destroyed by the love of friendship. Suppose you have viewed a man as an enemy, yet after a while he has been swayed by your benevolence. You will then love him as a friend. I think that Christ ordered these things not so much for our enemies as for us: not because enemies are fit to be loved by others but because we are not fit to hate anyone. For hatred is the prodigy of dark places. Wherever it resides, it sullies the beauty of sound sense. Therefore not only does Christ order us to love our enemies for the sake of cherishing them but also for the sake of driving away from ourselves what is bad for us. The Mosaic law does not speak about physically hurting your enemy but about hating your enemy. But if you merely hate him, you have hurt yourself more in the spirit than you have hurt him in the flesh. Perhaps you don't harm him at all by hating him. But you surely tear yourself apart. If then you are benevolent to an enemy, you have rather spared yourself than him. And if you do him a kindness, you benefit yourself more than him." (excerpt from INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW, HOMILY 13, The Greek Fathers) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 Kings 21:1-16 asks how do we deal with the temptation to covet “anything that belongs to your neighbor” (Exodus 20:17)?

Today, try to keep a running list of the good, the true, and the Christlike thoughts that arise in your heart—as well as the Christlike people you come across. Then, at the end of the day, read over your list. Let the truths of God’s goodness that you see in that list convince you that Jesus is your greatest treasure!

“Lord, heal me of all envy and covetousness!” (Meditation on 1 Kings 21:1-16, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that in 1 Kings the great opponent of Naboth is Jezabel, wife of King Ahab. The king wanted his neighbour’s vineyard but Naboth asserted that God had distributed the land to his family. In Hebrew practice, if you sold land, it was returned to the original custodian on the Jubilee year. Jezebel concocted a plot against Naboth that concluded with his execution and the property went to the King. Matthew continues the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus cites a Hebrew law that was, in effect, a merciful act that was a limitation of how much retribution could be permitted. Jesus goes way beyond and declares that If you are injured you give love and prayer generously to one who hurts you. Friar Jude comments that Jesus is teaching to destroy evil you do it by love and service and see enemies as people who need our help and assistance. It is through love that they will come around.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, describes the influence of the apostle Paul on the formation of the first Christian churches.

The churches or communities Paul founded are his audiovisual aids that he can point to inside of a debauched empire (where human dignity was never upheld as inherent) to give credibility to his message. To people who asked, “Why should we believe there’s a new or different life possible?” Paul could say, “Look at these people. They’re different. This is a different social order.” In Christ, “there are no more distinctions between Jew and Greek, slave and free, male and female, but all of you are one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). This is not just a religious idea, but a socioeconomic message that began to change the world—and still can.

For Jesus, teachings such as forgiveness, healing, and justice work are the real evidence of a new and shared life. If we do not see this happening in churches and spiritual communities, religion is “all in the head” and largely an illusion. Peacemaking, forgiveness, and reconciliation are not some kind of ticket to heaven later. They are the price of peoplehood—the signature of heaven—now. (Rohr, n.d.)

We seek the calm and control offered by the Spirit to respond to broken people who persecute others with the love and compassion that Jesus asserts is the path to reconciliation. 

References

Dilly, B. (n.d.). Daily Reflections. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved June 15, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-june-15-2026 

Matthew, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 15, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/5? 

Meditation on 1 Kings 21:1-16. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved June 15, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/06/15/1592497/ 

1 Kings, CHAPTER 21 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved June 15, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1kings/21?1 

Psalms, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved June 15, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/5?2 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Being the Body of Christ. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 15, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/being-the-body-of-christ/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Do Not Return Evil for Evil. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 15, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Offense and Retaliation

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with motives based in greed, retribution, and injustice that stand in complete opposition to Jesus' exhortation to “turn the other cheek.”

Dealing with Discord

The reading from the First Book of Kings, relates injustice around Naboth’s Vineyard.

* [21:1–16] The story tells how Jezebel manipulates important structures of Israelite social order, law, and religious observance to eliminate a faithful Israelite landowner who frustrates Ahab’s will.

* [21:3] Heritage: Hebrew naḥalah. Naboth is unwilling to sell or exchange his vineyard. According to the Israelite system of land tenure and distribution, land was held in common within a social unit. The ancestral naḥalah was not private property, to be alienated at will. (1 Kings, CHAPTER 21 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 5 urges Trust in God for Deliverance from Enemies.

* [Psalm 5] A lament contrasting the security of the house of God (Ps 5:8–9, 12–13) with the danger of the company of evildoers (Ps 5:5–7, 10–11). The psalmist therefore prays that God will hear (Ps 5:2–4) and grant the protection and joy of the Temple. (Psalms, PSALM 5 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Sermon on the Mount from the Gospel of Matthew teaches Concerning Retaliation.

* [5:38–42] See Lv 24:20. The Old Testament commandment was meant to moderate vengeance; the punishment should not exceed the injury done. Jesus forbids even this proportionate retaliation. Of the five examples that follow, only the first deals directly with retaliation for evil; the others speak of liberality.

* [5:41] Roman garrisons in Palestine had the right to requisition the property and services of the native population. (Matthew, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB, n.d.)

Julie Kalkowski asks how do we develop the internal strength to take the high road?...  to not cooperate with evil? 

Pope Francis writes:  “The power of Jesus is love.”  To overcome evil with good , we have to make time each day to connect with God’s grace and love so that we too can stand up to evil…to ‘turn our other cheek’. 

Let us close by praying:  “Jesus, you who love me, teach me to love like you. Jesus, you who forgive me, teach me to forgive like you.  Send your spirit, the spirit of Love, upon me.”  Pope Francis (Kalkowski, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “You tear yourself apart by hating,” by an anonymous early author from the Greek church

"We have seen how murder is born from anger and adultery from desire. In the same way, the hatred of an enemy is destroyed by the love of friendship. Suppose you have viewed a man as an enemy, yet after a while he has been swayed by your benevolence. You will then love him as a friend. I think that Christ ordered these things not so much for our enemies as for us: not because enemies are fit to be loved by others but because we are not fit to hate anyone. For hatred is the prodigy of dark places. Wherever it resides, it sullies the beauty of sound sense. Therefore not only does Christ order us to love our enemies for the sake of cherishing them but also for the sake of driving away from ourselves what is bad for us. The Mosaic law does not speak about physically hurting your enemy but about hating your enemy. But if you merely hate him, you have hurt yourself more in the spirit than you have hurt him in the flesh. Perhaps you don't harm him at all by hating him. But you surely tear yourself apart. If then you are benevolent to an enemy, you have rather spared yourself than him. And if you do him a kindness, you benefit yourself more than him." (excerpt from INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW, HOMILY 13, The Greek Fathers) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 5:38-42 comments that we may not have warm feelings for our adversaries, but by keeping our eyes on Jesus, we can wish for their good. This gaze happens most effectively in prayer: intimate prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, convicting prayer while reading the Gospels, joyful prayer of praise and thanksgiving, and fruitful prayer after Communion.

The radical love and mercy Jesus is asking of us can only come into the world one person at a time. So when you want to retaliate, look at your struggle as an opportunity. When you respond to evil with God’s goodness, you are pouring the love of Christ into human hearts.

“Lord Jesus, I need your inexhaustible grace. Stay with me on my journey through this rough terrain.” (Meditation on Matthew 5:38-42, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the mistreatment of Naboth by Jezebel, wife of King Ahab, to take the vineyard from him that had been granted by God. Jesus extends the intention of the lex talionis in the Sermon on the Mount by instructing us to turn the other cheek and go the extra mile. Friar Jude suggests that our generous response may cause evil to be deflected.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, offers his own basic overview of the stages of spiritual development, which also account for our developmentally appropriate psychological needs.

1. My body and self-image are who I am. 
   We focus on our own security, safety, and defense needs.  

2. My external behavior is who I am. 
   We need to look good from the outside and to hide any “contrary evidence” from others, and eventually from ourselves. The ego’s “shadow” begins to emerge at this time.  

3. My thoughts and feelings are who I am. 
   We begin to take pride in our “better” thoughts and feelings and learn to control them, so much so that we do not even see their self-serving nature. For nearly all of us, a major defeat, shock, or humiliation must be suffered and passed through to go beyond this stage.  

4. My deeper intuitions and felt knowledge in my body are who I am. 
   This is such a breakthrough and so helpful that many of us are content to stay here, but to remain at this level may lead to inner work or body work as a substitute for any real encounter with, or sacrifice for, the “other.”  

5. My shadow self is who I am. 
   This is the first “dark night of the senses”—when our weakness overwhelms us, and we finally face ourselves in our unvarnished and uncivilized state. Without guidance, grace, and prayer, most of us go running back to previous identities.  

6. I am empty and powerless. 
   Some call this sitting in “God’s Waiting Room,” but it is more often known as “the dark night of the soul.” At this point, almost any attempt to save ourselves by any superior behavior, morality, or prayer technique will fail us. All we can do is to ask, wait, and trust. God is about to become real. The false or separate self is dying in a major way.  

7.  I am much more than who I thought I was. 
   We experience the permanent waning of the false self and the ascent of the True Self as the center of our being. It feels like an absence or void, even if a wonderful void. John of the Cross calls this “luminous darkness.” We grow not by knowing or understanding, but only by loving and trusting.  

8.  “The Father and I are one” (John 10:30). 
   Here, there is only God. There is nothing we need to protect, promote, or prove to anyone, especially ourselves. Our false self no longer guides the ship. We have learned to let Grace and Mystery guide us—still without full (if any) comprehension.  

9.  I am who I am. 
   I’m “just me,” warts and all. We are now fully detached from our own self-image and living in God’s image of us—which includes and loves both the good and the bad. We experience true serenity and freedom. This is the peace the world cannot give (see John 14:27) and full resting in God.  

Reference: 
Adapted from Richard Rohr, The Naked Now: Learning to See as the Mystics See (New York: Crossroad Publishing, 2009), 164–166.  (Rohr, n.d.)

We consider the tension between the way of the world and Jesus' Way of love and self sacrifice as it plays out in our daily interactions with people in our environment.

References

Kalkowski, J. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. OnlineMinistries. Retrieved June 17, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/061724.html 

Matthew, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 17, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/5 

Meditation on Matthew 5:38-42. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved June 17, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/06/17/1002408/ 

1 Kings, CHAPTER 21 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 17, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1kings/21?1 

Psalms, PSALM 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 17, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/5?2 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 17, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-maturing-spirituality/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Do Not Return Evil for Evil. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 17, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=jun17