Matthew 5:44

“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” (Matthew 5:44 RSVCE)

Some of the rules that God has given us make sense. When I say that, I mean that we as humans are typically geared to not go around killing people. Even those who have no belief in God or any god typically come to the same conclusion: killing is bad. That’s just common sense.

However, there are some rules that we are given by the Lord that aren’t necessarily “common sense”, such as this rule Jesus gave his people at the Sermon on the Mount; love and pray for your enemies.

This is universally known as one of the hardest instructions the Lord gave us to follow. When people hurt us, it is human instinct to want to hurt them back

Every single gospel of our Lord says something about loving your enemies.

We’ve covered that Matthew definitely wrote about the topic on the Sermon on the Mount. The full section on loving your enemies is Matthew 5:43-48.

Mark covers this in Mark 2:15-16 where Jesus sits and has a meal with the sinners and tax collectors. Now, I do not believe that these people were Jesus’s enemies. He loved the sinners, but hated the sins. These people trespassed against Him, against everything he stood for, yet he still loved them. Why can’t we do the same with those who trespass against us?

Furthermore, Luke also says that Jesus said “Love your enemies” in chapter 6, verse 27. He goes on to say to “bless those who persecute you and pray for those who abuse you” (6:28) The full passage in Luke is Luke 6:27-36.

Now if that wasn’t enough, John’s gospel also has something to say on the topic of loving everyone, including your enemies. “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13: 34-35).

If all four of the gospels have something to say on the matter, it must be pretty important.

There are even verses outside of the gospels that mention loving your enemies. Proverbs 24:17 (“Do not rejoice when your enemies fall, and do no let your heart be glad when they stumble”) and Proverbs 25:21 (“If your enemies are hungry, give them bread to eat; and if they are thirsty, give them water to drink.”) are two perfect examples of this love.

It’s hard. I won’t deny that. I’ve been hurt by people and you want to be mad at them. You want them to feel your pain, but eventually I got to the point where the first thing I did was pray for the person who hurt me. He had betrayed my trust, and I sat in my car and said an Our Father for my ability to keep loving him as God wanted me to.

Forgiveness came later. Forgiveness comes at its own time, and it’s more for you than for the person you are forgiving. However, we are called to forgive as the Lord forgave us (Colossians 3:13). It doesn’t have to be today, and it doesn’t have to be tomorrow, but we must take it to prayer and work towards it today and tomorrow.

Forgiveness is freeing. It’s not forgetting what happened, but it’s allowing yourself to let go.

Something that a wonderful priest, Father Daniel Pattee said once was incredibly convicting, and a wonderful final thought; “Pray for them, that they may repent, so when they die they’ll face God’s mercy, not his justice.”

YOUR CHALLENGE TODAY: We’re not going to tell you to forgive someone as your challenge. We know everyone works in different ways, and things will happen in your own time. However, we do challenge you to say a decade of the rosary for the one you are moving to forgive. During each Hail Mary, picture Mary wrapping the person in her mantle, and showering rose petals on them to keep yourself focused and grounded.