Today’s Gospel reading is a reminder of our constant call to love one another. “When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn and offer the other.” This is not a common practice in our society. We see on TV shows, movies, the news, and even in real life, people getting revenge or serving up payback for someone’s wrongdoing. Jesus is telling us, not to treat evil with evil, but rather with love. It was the way of Jesus. He lived and died to overcome evil with good. This is easier said than done. While we often say to ourselves, “Okay, I’m not going to do the same thing that has been done to me,” when we have been treated badly. It becomes even more difficult when we first hand experience that situation. When we are hurt; physically or emotionally, our first instinct is to inflict the same pain onto the other person. This is the devil working in our lives, but it is a call out from God to love continually. This does not mean to love when things are going well or when someone loves you. It means to love ALWAYS.
It is not easy to remain good in the face of evil, to be loving in the face of hatred, to be faithful in the face of unfaithfulness, to remain just in the face of injustice done to us, to be peacemakers in the face of violence done to us. We cannot live in this way drawing on our own strength and resources alone. We need God’s strength, God’s resources, God’s Spirit because such a way of life is the fruit of God’s Spirit at work within us.” When you get into an argument with someone or someone has hurt you, imagine Jesus is standing before you. You would not hit Jesus, or speak bad words toward Jesus, but that is what we do when our actions and words stem from evil and not love. Let us use the image of Jesus to draw ourselves into prayer and a state of love and peace.
By Sr Mary CM, Jogjakarta.
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