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/ 

Restored to Joy

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to consider the need of faith in times when Jesus’ promise of renewal of our society seems to be distant and we are distracted by wars and self aggrandizement. 

Joy and Restoration

The Reading from the Prophet Isaiah envisions A World Renewed.

* [65:17–18] The new creation (cf. 66:22) is described with apocalyptic exuberance: long life, material prosperity, and so forth. As the former events in 43:18 are to be forgotten, so also the new creation wipes out memory of the first creation. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 65 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 30 is an individual thanksgiving in four parts.

* [Psalm 30] An individual thanksgiving in four parts: praise and thanks for deliverance and restoration (Ps 30:2–4); an invitation to others to join in (Ps 30:5–6); a flashback to the time before deliverance (Ps 30:7–11); a return to praise and thanks (Ps 30:12). Two sets of images recur: 1) going down, death, silence; 2) coming up, life, praising. God has delivered the psalmist from one state to the other. (Psalms, PSALM 30 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of John proclaims Jesus’ Return to Galilee and a Second Sign at Cana.

* [4:43–54] Jesus’ arrival in Cana in Galilee; the second sign. This section introduces another theme, that of the life-giving word of Jesus. It is explicitly linked to the first sign (Jn 2:11). The royal official believes (Jn 4:50). The natural life given his son is a sign of eternal life.

* [4:44] Probably a reminiscence of a tradition as in Mk 6:4. Cf. Gospel of Thomas 4:31: “No prophet is acceptable in his village, no physician heals those who know him.”

* [4:46–54] The story of the cure of the royal official’s son may be a third version of the cure of the centurion’s son (Mt 8:5–13) or servant (Lk 7:1–10). Cf. also Mt 15:21–28; Mk 7:24–30. (John, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB, n.d.)

Rev. Anish Kochanichottil, SJ, comments that perhaps we can reflect on our own response to suffering. It is often easier to respond to the needs of someone standing right in front of us than to the struggles of people who live far away or whose pain seems distant from our daily lives. In many ways, today’s readings encourage us to recognize that God’s healing is not limited to the distant future.

While the ultimate promise of restoration lies in God’s eternal kingdom, signs of God’s healing love are already present in our world. Prayers of our loved ones and friends for us, the resilience of the human body, supportive communities, and the countless small blessings that sustain daily life can all be seen as gifts that reflect God’s care for humanity. 

The readings also invite us to ask a deeper question: how strong would our faith remain if these blessings were taken away? Many people around the world face suffering, unrest, poverty, and illness despite their prayers. The season of Lent challenges us to examine our faith in light of these realities. It calls us not only to gratitude for the blessings we enjoy but also to solidarity with those who struggle. (Kochanichottil, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Christ our physician,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"God sent the human race a physician, a savior, One Who healed without charging a fee. Christ also came to reward those who would be healed by Him. Christ heals the sick, and He makes a gift to those whom He heals. And the gift that He makes is Himself!" (excerpt from Sermon 102,2) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler was not available at publication time.

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 4:43-54 comments that Jesus wants us to bring our needs to him. But he wants us to go beyond thinking of him only as a last resort when our back is against a wall. He wants us to find ongoing healing and transformation in his friendship.

So go deeper with your faith today. Perhaps you are concerned about a strained relationship, a dead-end job, or a health issue. Bring your need before Jesus. If you feel as if your faith is being tested, imitate the royal official and persist. Take a concrete step of faith, and let Jesus draw you closer to himself. Then add your story of deepening faith to Jesus’ ever-expanding list of marvels and wonders.

“Jesus, as I come to you in my need, lead me to deeper faith and a growing friendship with you.” (Meditation on John 4:43-54, n.d.)

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, describes how the early church followed Jesus’s practice of honoring universal human dignity. In New Testament times, shame and honor were in fact moral values that people felt compelled to follow. If a situation called for retaliation, one must retaliate. Not to retaliate would have been considered immoral, because it would have meant abandoning the honor of the individual, their family, and maybe their entire village. For Jesus to say, “Do not retaliate,” was to subvert the whole honor-and-shame system. It is one of the strongest arguments people can make that Jesus taught nonviolence.

Once challenged to live outside their cultural systems, Jesus’s listeners were given a new place to find their identity: in God. Who we are in God is who we are. That’s the end of ups and downs. Our value no longer depends upon whether our family or village likes us, whether we’re good-looking, wealthy, or obedient to the laws. Jesus’s message is incredibly subversive in an honor-and-shame society. Yet, as he takes away their old foundations, he offers a new, more solid one: neither shame-based nor guilt-based, but based in who they—and we—are in God. [2] (Rohr, n.d.)

We rely on the Wisdom of the Spirit to guide our understanding of joy as followers of Christ who are called to restore love and dignity based on our essence as children of God and not as advocates for a world view that restores inequality and persecution.

References

Isaiah, CHAPTER 65 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 16, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/65?17 

John, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 16, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/4?43 

Kochanichottil, A. (n.d.). Daily Reflections. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved March 16, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-march-16-2026 

Meditation on John 4:43-54. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved March 16, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/03/16/1519759/ 

Psalms, PSALM 30 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 16, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/30? 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). A Divine Identity. CAC.org. Retrieved March 16, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-divine-identity/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Jesus - the Divine Physician. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 16, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Peace and Love Response to Injury

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today exhort us to seek inspiration from the Spirit to follow Jesus' example of responding to injury by others with love and forgiveness.

Peace and Response to Injury

In the reading from the Second Letter to the Corinthians, Paul exercises his ministry of reconciliation. 

* [6:1–10] This paragraph is a single long sentence in the Greek, interrupted by the parenthesis of 2 Cor 5:2. The one main verb is “we appeal.” In this paragraph Paul both exercises his ministry of reconciliation (cf. 2 Cor 5:20) and describes how his ministry is exercised: the “message of reconciliation” (2 Cor 5:19) is lived existentially in his apostolic experience.

* [6:1] Not to receive…in vain: i.e., conform to the gift of justification and new creation. The context indicates how this can be done concretely: become God’s righteousness (2 Cor 5:21), not live for oneself (2 Cor 5:15) be reconciled with Paul (2 Cor 6:11–13; 7:2–3).

* [6:2] In an acceptable time: Paul cites the Septuagint text of Is 49:8; the Hebrew reads “in a time of favor”; it is parallel to “on the day of salvation.” Now: God is bestowing favor and salvation at this very moment, as Paul is addressing his letter to them.

* [6:3] Cause no one to stumble: the language echoes that of 1 Cor 8–10 as does the expression “no longer live for themselves” in 2 Cor 5:15. That no fault may be found: i.e., at the eschatological judgment (cf. 1 Cor 4:2–5).

* [6:4a] This is the central assertion, the topic statement for the catalogue that follows. We commend ourselves: Paul’s self-commendation is ironical (with an eye on the charges mentioned in 2 Cor 3:1–3) and paradoxical (pointing mostly to experiences that would not normally be considered points of pride but are perceived as such by faith). Cf. also the self-commendation in 2 Cor 11:23–29. As ministers of God: the same Greek word, diakonos, means “minister” and “servant”; cf. 2 Cor 11:23, the central assertion in a similar context, and 1 Cor 3:5.

* [6:4b–5] Through much endurance: this phrase functions as a subtitle; it is followed by an enumeration of nine specific types of trials endured.

* [6:6–7a] A list of virtuous qualities in two groups of four, the second fuller than the first.

* [6:8b–10] A series of seven rhetorically effective antitheses, contrasting negative external impressions with positive inner reality. Paul perceives his existence as a reflection of Jesus’ own and affirms an inner reversal that escapes outward observation. The final two members illustrate two distinct kinds of paradox or apparent contradiction that are characteristic of apostolic experience. (2 Corinthians, CHAPTER 6, n.d.)

Psalm 98 extolls God for Israel’s victory.

* [Psalm 98] A hymn, similar to Ps 96, extolling God for Israel’s victory (Ps 98:1–3). All nations (Ps 98:4–6) and even inanimate nature (Ps 98:7–8) are summoned to welcome God’s coming to rule over the world (Ps 98:9). (Psalms, PSALM 98 | USCCB, n.d.)

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

* [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.)

Edward Morse comments that Paul was not preaching a gospel of pros­per­i­ty and per­son­al secu­ri­ty, but instead one that embraced dif­fi­cul­ty, insult, and dis­hon­or.

Assess­ments based sole­ly on our sens­es will often change when aug­ment­ed by deep­er real­i­ties acces­si­ble through the lens of faith.  Con­trasts abound in this let­ter: deceit­ful vs. truth­ful; being acknowl­edged vs. being ignored; pos­sess­ing lit­tle but hav­ing great val­ue to enrich oth­ers vs. hav­ing noth­ing and enrich­ing no one.  Their inter­nal dis­po­si­tions val­i­dat­ed this deep­er real­i­ty, as even gen­uine sor­row from hurts and wounds did not pre­vent rejoic­ing in what God had in store for them.  There is no denial here: their afflic­tions were quite real.  But God has revealed the pow­er of His love to us through His Son, and that love will con­quer all, even death itself. (Morse, 2025)

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 all know it’s hard to be gracious when someone cuts in front of you in a line, or insults you in front of coworkers or friends, or treats you unjustly. And of course, there are situations when you should get away from someone who threatens you. But God knows you through and through. He knows what situations you will encounter today. He knows your strengths and weaknesses. So ask him for the grace to turn the other cheek when it’s appropriate.

Who knows? Your calm response might just inspire the other person to do some self-examination—and come to a change of heart!

“Jesus, help me to respond peacefully to any conflict today. Show me the marvels you can do when I turn the other cheek!” (Meditation on Matthew 5:38-42, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that in 2 Corinthians Paul responds to a misunderstanding with the community with what is known as “the angry letter”. What he did, he did with virtuous intention to clarify the Word in the Holy Spirit and embrace suffering as a cost of sharing the Gospel. Friar Jude reminds us how Jesus extends the meaning of the Law in a spiritual sense to “turn the other cheek” and “go two miles with them” to respond with generosity to our persecutors, who may wonder about our extension of Love.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, describes the stunned silence that accompanies moments of awe and surrender. As she often did, Dr. Barbara Holmes (1943–2024) expands and strengthens Fr. Richard’s thinking by her description of “joy unspeakable.”

Accordingly, our obsession with blame and with the question of who is or is not worthy of God’s full embrace disrupts the journey. For we are not headed toward a single goal: we are on a pilgrimage toward the center of our hearts. It is in this place of prayerful repose that joy unspeakable erupts. 

 

Joy Unspeakable
erupts when you least expect it,
when the burden is greatest,
when the hope is gone
after bullets fly.
It rises
on the crest of impossibility,
it sways to the rhythm
of steadfast hearts,
and celebrates
what we cannot see. 

This joy beckons us not as individual monastics but as a community. It is a joy that lives as comfortably in the shout as it does in silence. It is expressed in the diversity of personal spiritual disciplines and liturgical rituals. This joy is our strength, and we need strength because we are well into the twenty-first century, and we are not healed. How shall we negotiate postmodernity without inner strength? [4] (Rohr, n.d.)

We ponder the experience of the Spirit by many faithful who astound the people in their environment by living with “joy” and “peace” amid the many difficulties, disappointments, and challenges of life.

References

Matthew, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Readings. Retrieved June 16, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/5 

Meditation on Matthew 5:38-42. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved June 16, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/06/16/1307028/ 

Morse, E. (2025, June 16). Daily Reflection June 16, 2025 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved June 16, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-june-16-2025 

Psalms, PSALM 98 | USCCB. (n.d.). Readings. Retrieved June 16, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/98?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Awe, Surrender, Joy. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 16, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/awe-surrender-joy/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Do Not Return Evil for Evil. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 16, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=jun16 

2 Corinthians, CHAPTER 6. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 16, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2corinthians/6?1