From Hatred to Healing: Living Jesus’ Radical Command to Love Our Enemies. (1 Samuel 26:2-23. Luke 6:27-38).

 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all!

On this 7^th Sunday of the liturgical calendar,  the Word of God confronts us with one of the most difficult, yet most essential, commandments of Christian life: “Love of the enemies”. This is not just a moral ideal or a beautiful saying; it is at the very heart of what it means to be a disciple of Christ.

But let us be honest: How do we love someone who has hurt us? How do we forgive someone who has betrayed us, slandered us, or even persecuted us, seeking to eliminate our life? The readings today challenge us to rise beyond our human instincts and enter into the divine logic of mercy and forgiveness. Let us open our hearts as we reflect on this radical call of Jesus, inviting us to be like our heavenly Father in whose image and likeness we are created.

David’s Mercy: A Reflection of God’s Heart (1 Samuel 26:2-23)

In our first reading, we encounter a dramatic episode from the life of David. King Saul, consumed by jealousy, has been hunting David down to kill him. But in an unexpected turn of events, David finds Saul sleeping and has the perfect opportunity to take his revenge. Instead of killing him, David spares his life, saying:

“Do not destroy him, for who can lay his hand on the Lord’s anointed and be guiltless?”(1 Sam 26:9)

David understood something profound: vengeance belongs to God alone (cf. Deut. 32:35). He chose mercy over revenge. He recognized that God, in His own time, would deal with Saul justly. This is a foreshadowing of the divine mercy revealed fully in Jesus Christ.

How often do we find ourselves in situations where we are tempted to retaliate, to strike back, to hold onto resentment? The world teaches us that power is found in domination, but David’s example reminds us that true strength is found in mercy.

Jesus’ Revolutionary Command: Love Your Enemies (Luke 6:27-38)

In the Gospel we discover the core reason why we should love our enemy. Jesus’ words in the Gospel must have shocked His listeners, as it goes beyond what Moses taught them.

“But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” (Luke 6:27-28)

This teaching goes beyond anything found in the Old Testament. The Jewish Law emphasized justice: “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” (Exod. 21:24). But Jesus introduces a completely new ethic: the ethic of divine love.

The Greek word for love used here is agapaō, which is not just an emotional affection or a feeling of kindness. Agape love is sacrificial, unconditional love, a love that seeks the good of the other, even when they do not deserve it.

Jesus is telling us: Do good to those who hate you. So, what matters is what we do and not what we do not do. This saves us from sin of indifference.  Bless, which means to speak well of those who curse you. Indeed, there is power in words we pronounce. We can hurt even with words. This reminds of how harmful and terrible the sin of gossiping is.  Blessing others, speaking well of them means looking beyond their weaknesses and seeing them above all as children of the same God.  Pray for those who mistreat you. This could be the first step especially when forgiveness becomes too difficult because of the deep hurt in our hearts, nourished sometimes by the fear that the enemy, if left unchecked, could continue to harm when possible.

Can we imagine how countercultural Jesus’ teaching was? The people expected a Messiah who would crush their enemies, not one who would tell them to love them! And yet, this is the radical new way of the Kingdom of God.

The Challenge of Living This Teaching Today

My dear  Sisters and Brothers, let us be honest to ourselves: this command is one of the hardest to live out. Our  world filled with hatred, division, and violence. Think of wars, conflicts in various parts of the world. Indeed,  loving our enemies seems almost impossible mission.

• When we are insulted, our natural reaction is to defend ourselves, not bless our aggressors.
• When we are wronged, our instinct is to seek justice, not to pray for those who mistreat us.
• When we are hurt, we find it difficult to forgive, let alone do good to those who harmed us.

But Jesus does not just ask us to love our enemies in words; He lived it to the fullest. On the Cross, after being falsely accused, beaten, humiliated, and crucified, He prayed for His persecutors:

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34). What a Great Love!!!

If we are truly followers of Christ, we cannot ignore this command. We are called to love like Him.

Practical Ways to Live Out This Command

How can we put this teaching into practice? Let’s examine our hearts. Is there someone you are refusing to forgive? Ask the Holy Spirit for the grace to let go.  Let’s choose mercy over revenge. Like David, refuse to retaliate when you are wronged. Pray for those who have hurt you. This is difficult, but it transforms your heart, uprooting any seed of hatred and vengeance. Respond with kindness. A soft word can break the cycle of hatred. Trust in God’s justice. He alone will judge righteously. It is important to understand that satan and his followers feed on hatred, unforgiveness, vengeance. Therefore, loving as Jesus has told us is a very strong means of disarming them. 

The Mark of a True Christian

Dear brothers and sisters, the world will recognize us as true disciples of Christ not by how much we fast, or preach, but by how much we love. Jesus Himself said:

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35)

Today, Jesus is inviting us to a higher way of living, a way that reflects the mercy of the Father. Let us ask for the grace to love as He loved, to forgive as He forgave, and to bless even those who persecute us.

May the Lord grant us hearts filled with His divine love so that we may be true witnesses of His mercy in the world. Amen.

 

Closing Prayer:

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the gift of Your Word today. We ask for the courage and grace to live out the radical call to love our enemies. Fill our hearts with Your agape love, that we may reflect Your mercy and kindness to a broken world. Help us to forgive as we have been forgiven, and to love as we have been loved. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen🙏🙏🙏.