Ask God’s Grace to Forgive and Love Your Enemies

Reflections

By Vamshi Eedara csc –

Readings: Sam 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23; 1 Cor 15:45-49; Lk 6:27-38

In the gospel reading of today, Jesusteaches us to love our enemies.

It is easy to love our friends and neighbours but loving our enemies and doing good to those who hate us are difficult and challenging. But when we do it, then we are living a perfect Christian life.

As Christians and religious people, we have a higher duty of living the life of Jesus and practice unconditional love. This perfect and unconditional love, Jesus has shown not only to us but also to the soldiers who nailed him on the cross. He prayed for them as well.

If we are to embrace Jesus’ radical idea of love, we must not reduce love to a mere feeling. When love is viewed from the level of feeling, our love tends to fluctuate constantly. Love is to be approached as a decision and an action.

The explicit decisions and actions of love, as mentioned in the passage, by doing good, blessing, forgiving, praying, and giving are meant to build the right relationship with others, no matter how they treat us. It is easier to show kindness and mercy while expecting a benefit in return. But it is harder to show kindness and mercy without expecting anything in return.

Our prayers for those who do harm to us breaks both the power of revenge and releases the power of love to do good in the face of evil. So, let us ask the Lord to give us the grace to forgive and love our enemies in our day to day life so that we may become true and radical disciples of Christ.