Whose Enemy?

Today’s Gospel Text:   "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matt 5:43-48

Reflection: Perhaps one of the most easily understood injunction of Jesus and yet most difficult to practice: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

Love we must, our enemies, whatever the cost and do good to those who hate us or persecute us by at least praying for them.

By praying for them we may not be able to reach them physically but definitely through the mercies of God we are able to reach them.

In other words, human connectedness is rooted in God connectedness and this is achieved by not just forgiving our enemies but by praying for them as suggested by Jesus.

Who among us can say we don’t have enemies? Even if we mean good to all we still can have enemies, people who will hate us not because of our goodness but on account of their spirit of jealousy and envy.

Being good to all here doesn’t mean to please people and thus be good to them, that would amount to deception and taking God’s place in people’s life.  

Such deception is so very common among people who are leading a life consecrated to God, that they think that we are only called to love and this love means to be good to people at any cost and thus please them at any cost.

Ours is a call to sonship and perfection just like our heavenly God and Father who “makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”  (vs. 45)

If such is our calling; to love our enemies, then what do we do to those who act as enemies of God and his gospel?  They may thus choose to be your enemy too. 

These are the godless and the wicked the scripture refers too who will meet their doom. Your enemies have scope to be saved but these enemies of God will meet their doom faster than expected.

Prayer: Lord, bless our enemies and keep them in your mantle of love and strengthen us to do good to them.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

Servant or Citizen?

Today’s Gospel Text:  As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. 12 He said therefore, "A nobleman went into a far country to receive a kingdom and then return. 13 Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten pounds, and said to them, 'Trade with these till I come.' 14 But his citizens hated him and sent an embassy after him, saying, 'We do not want this man to reign over us.' 15 When he returned, having received the kingdom, he commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by trading. 16 The first came before him, saying, 'Lord, your pound has made ten pounds more.' 17 And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.' 18 And the second came, saying, 'Lord, your pound has made five pounds.' 19 And he said to him, 'And you are to be over five cities.' 20 Then another came, saying, 'Lord, here is your pound, which I kept laid away in a napkin; 21 for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man; you take up what you did not lay down, and reap what you did not sow.' 22 He said to him, 'I will condemn you out of your own mouth, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking up what I did not lay down and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then did you not put my money into the bank, and at my coming I should have collected it with interest?' 24 And he said to those who stood by, 'Take the pound from him, and give it to him who has the ten pounds.' 25 (And they said to him, 'Lord, he has ten pounds!') 26 'I tell you, that to every one who has will more be given; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 27 But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them before me.'"

28 And when he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. Luke 19:11-28

Reflection: In this parable that Jesus talks about we could be so focused on the talents or the pounds and miss out on a very important truth which seem to come across as passing. 

We could confuse the message of this parable with the parable that Matthew mentions in the 25^th chapter of his gospel, which explicitly talks about the servants and the talents given to them by the master.

Here in this parable, as if in passing but significantly, Jesus mentions about the citizens who hated the noble man.

Jesus does not give us any reason for their hate but reveals a very important fact in the parable: you are either a servant of Jesus or a citizen receiving all the ordinary benefits of the kingdom and yet could be hating the king.

If the scripture reveals to us that we are sinners, one of the qualities of sin is to be hostile towards the God whom Jesus has revealed and this hostility is even manifest in the many gods created by people and by those who do not believe in him.

Each individual in this world, if he has not opted to be the servant of Christ, is a citizen of the kingdom. For God himself accepts them as citizen and makes his sun shine on them and the rain to water their needs. (Mt. 5:45)

Do you not know that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? Rom 2:4

The above is besides the hostility of the servants who do not value the pound given by the master and which belongs to the master and do not make much of it.

The important thing is to ask ourselves where we belong: Whether we are servants or citizens, if citizens then we need to change and opt to be servants.

If are servants or opted to be one then it is necessary for us to ask ourselves what we are going to do with the wealth that Christ has entrusted to each one of us as his servants; i.e. the gospel.

Prayer:  Lord, I thank you for opening my eyes to understand my place in your kingdom, help me Lord to constantly opt to be your servant and to carry your word to all whom I meet.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

Enemies: Who?

Scripture/Bible: "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matt 5:43-48

Reflection:  In life we could have many enemies, they are generally people who think evil of us or do harm to us or work out wicked plans to destroy us or our reputation.  Sometimes the hostility from such enemies never keeps ceasing. 

There are some who become our enemies because we oppose their evil cause or because we act as mirrors to their conscience and hence they are unable to stand our presence.  Then there are some who for no reason and maybe even in ignorance can be acting like enemies.  There is also the most subtle form of enmity by the do-gooders who by their good or sincere action in all ignorance of heart and mind can act as enemies. 

These details could go on and in actual reality, if one really gives it a thought and reflects, and then it is difficult to classify an enemy.  We may fail to see that our well meaning and good-intentioned friend has acted like an enemy. We are many a times the greatest enemy of ourselves, this is because we work as enemies of God who sustains us. 

Only with God’s help, who alone knows the heart of every creature, we will be able to discern our true enemy and only with his presence with us that their evil actions will be made to work for our good. Rm. 8:28

In Christ Jesus we have a perfect example of a well intentioned person, with the purest motives and our absolute good in mind becoming an enemy of the masses, to be hated and ridiculed and ultimately crucified and this trend to a large extent still continues with him and with his followers.  Almost over 80 % of the persecutions in the world are faced by Christians.

We as sinners tend to work as enemies of God and the truth. (Rm. 8:7; Col. 1:21; Jas. 4:4)

Jesus being victim and at the same time knowing the human heart, which even in ignorance and indifference acts as an enemy of God still invites his followers to imitate him in what he once taught while on earth.

Prayer:  "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."  Luke 23:34

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us