Mar 11 - Saturday
Matthew 5:43-48I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. (Matthew 5:44)
What does it mean to love our enemies? Certainly this can’t be possible when we face a situation of extreme injustice, or when we are deeply hurt by someone close to us? And yet, Jesus tells us not only to forgive but to pray for our enemies and those who persecute us. What a tall order!
The Greek word for the type of love Jesus tells us to have for our enemies is agapé. This is a different kind of love than the love we naturally have for our family. It is different from the romantic love between two people or the fatherly love that God has for us. Agapé does not mean a feeling of the heart as much as a determination of the mind and will. It is the decision to love those we do not like and who maybe do not like us.
On our own strength we cannot forgive or forget the hurts and insults we suffer. It is simply part of our fallen, human condition. And yet, God is asking it of us. And the answer lies in the person of Jesus and his Holy Spirit, who came to be with us after Jesus ascended to heaven. Granted, we may have to turn to the Spirit many times for strength to forgive, but no matter how long it takes he will give us the strength we need. It is in the will that the battle will be won. We may have to start out by saying to God, “I’m willing to be made willing to forgive,” and let the desire grow from there. The ability to forgive may have to come in stages, but when we call on the power of the Holy Spirit, we will ultimately see victory.
We may have to take many baby steps on the way to forgiving those who have hurt or harmed us, but with God’s help we can do it. Yes, we really can follow in the footsteps of all the great saints in our history. What’s more, by God’s grace we can even become like Jesus, who forgave those who tortured him and hung him on the Cross.
“Holy Spirit, please comfort all those who suffer today from hurts and insults of others. Pour the love of God into their hearts so that they can forgive and be healed."
posted by Thomas Cagurangan @ 12:12 AM
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