When Love becomes difficult! Homily for Tuesday of the 11th week in ordinary time JUNE 2023

Homily for Tuesday of the 11th week in ordinary time

2Cor.8:1-9; Ps.146; Matthew 5:43-48

When Love becomes difficult!

Jesus presents us with another difficult teaching in the gospel reading of today. He is asking us to love our enemies if we want to be different from the tax collectors and the Gentiles who ordinarily will do good to only those whom they love. A sign that we are Christians is when we are able to repay evil with good. But again, there is a tiny line between paying evil with good and encouraging evil by some unscrupulous kindness. So, Jesus went on to give us an example of how to love our enemies. First, we consider an enemy to be someone who hates us and works against us maliciously. What Jesus wants us to do differently is not to hate and act maliciously towards our enemies in return.

When we sin against God, God does not in turn sin against us; that will reduce God to our imperfect state. It is this reduction that Jesus wants us to guide against. So many persons have lost their virtues in a bid to revenge a wrong done to them. But the fact that God will not revenge by sinning against us does not mean we will go scot free with our sins. The fact that God makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust, did not abolish the existence of hell. God’s kindness to evil men and women is only an opportunity for them to repent. This opportunity has a time frame; and when it is not utilized, the consequences for sin will apply.

It is often said that if you decide to argue with a madman on the road, do not blame anyone who concludes that both of you are mad. You should ignore the madman not because he is correct but because you understand better. See, evil corrupts! When we try to use evil to fight evil, we become evil ourselves. Evil must be fought but with goodness. This goodness is anything that helps the evil person realize how wrong he/she has been, and helps the person to change for good.

Sometimes, the goodness may entail the person facing the consequences of his or her actions and thus learn from it. It could also be in form of facing the law. Whatever form this goodness takes, cognizance must be taken of the fact that God has not given up on the person; so, we too should not condemn the person. It is on this note that the Church continues to kick against capital punishment. It is not wrong to legally punish a lawbreaker in a manner that is commensurate to the offence committed. But to punish someone by killing the person is to give a final ruling that only God has the capacity to give.

Beloved, no matter how difficult it may be to love to ones enemies, let us not be afraid to attempt it. Our God is a just judge; He will never allow evil triumph over good in the life of His children.