Loving Our Enemies

Today's readings: Ps 107:33-43, 108; Hos 11:1-9; Acts 22:17-29; Luke 6:27-38

When Christ tell us to love our enemies, the underlying assumption is that we will have enemies. None of us gets through this life without having at least a few. How are we to love them? As usual, Jesus doesn’t tell us how to feel but how to behave: “Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (Luke 6:27b-28). This sounds like the epitome of selflessness, but the truth is we engage in these actions to transform ourselves and our relationships with the world.

Unless we are engaged in a war, referring to someone as an “enemy” can seem melodramatic. To put Christ’s words into action, we can think of our enemies as anyone we don’t feel like blessing, praying or doing good for. Maybe our enemies are social – the people who challenge us at work, school or other social groups. Maybe our enemies are political; few things can set us against each other so quickly, even when we share common goals. Maybe our enemies are inherited through longstanding cultural grudges, and we don’t have any firsthand reason to clash. In all these cases, society teaches us to distrust, outmaneuver or outright harm our enemies. The television reality show turns strangers into enemies for entertainment. Our hands may not be at war, but our hearts certainly are.

If we love our enemies only in an attempt to change them, we are missing the point. While we never want to discourage a move from enemy to friend, having any purpose for love other than love itself will eventually frustrate and disappoint us – and short-circuit the power of love to change our own hearts. How should we pray for our enemies, if not to change them? Just like we would pray for our loved ones. Make no mistake – such prayer sometimes takes an immense effort when we have been wronged or hurt. We can’t wait until we feel like praying for them, for that day may never come. Prayer for those who anger us isn’t hypocritical, it is a discipline crucial to re-shaping our hearts to better resemble Christ's heart.

Loving those who love us is nothing to brag about (v. 32), but loving those who despise us – while expecting nothing in return! – changes both our hearts and the world.

Comfort: Loving our enemies gets easier with practice.

Challenge: Pray for your enemies – and mean it.

Prayer: Teach me, Lord, to love my enemies as Christ loves me.

Evening readings: Ps 33

Tomorrow's readings: Ps 118; Hos 13:4-14; 1 Cor 2:6-16; Matt 14:1-12