Saturday, February 19, 2011

Ordinary Time 7

There is a saying, “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” Whether friend or enemy, the life of faith, is about relationships and how we choose to live them. In the Gospel we are told to turn the other cheek, to live in the face of hatred, to love our enemies. Jesus offers a choice that differs from the conventional wisdom of the world. The real spirit of Jesus’ teaching is in the beatitudes: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” St. Francis of Assisi said, “While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart.”

Jesus is trying to instill in us a holiness that is above our understanding, yet within our grasp by his grace. As believers in Jesus we are called beyond the law and beyond even the most generous ethical humanism to a perfection that reflects the true spirit of Jesus. This is a holiness that prevents revenge and retaliation while bringing forth a love that can only come from Christ alone. We, for our part, are to welcome this love and decide by the strength of that love living in us, to take Jesus at his word.