Most of the time, you’ll see that both enemies are at fault with each other, which has led to their disagreement or fight. Both share the blame. However, oftentimes too, you’ll realize that one is the real ‘good’ party, and the other is at the wrong. One says the truth, and the other one, well, speaks of the opposite.
Let’s assume you are the good party here. You’ve tried your hardest to reach out to your enemy and make peace with him or her. Since you know that it is you who’s been telling the truth, you’ve explained more than enough to him, and demonstrated through your good actions why you’re the one who’s right in this case. And you’ve prayed for the whole situation… but to no avail. Your enemy won’t fix things between you and resolve the problem. Because of pride or other sins, he still won’t make peace with you. Worse, your enemy even won’t admit his share of fault, nor apologize and say sorry.
What would happen next for you then? For one, anger and hurt might grow within you. The next thing, you’d find yourself wanting revenge and wish the person ill.
This is what the Gospel for the day speaks of. In the Readings, Jesus and His disciples were heading for Jerusalem. Along the way, they were to enter a Samaritan village. In there lived pagans and the enemies of the Jews, and therefore, the enemy of God. Still, they would pass by the place and preach there. The apostles wanted to prepare for the reception of Jesus there. But this group of people didn’t want to welcome Him.
And the loyal Apostles, James and John, probably out of feeling hurt and for their love for Jesus, asked Him and said:
“Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?”
They literally wished their enemies’ death in that moment.
In life, like I’ve said above, you face enemies who decide that they don’t want to treat you kindly and just plainly fight with you, even you only want to bring peace, joy, and love for them – just like Jesus and His Apostles wanted to give those Samaritans. Enemies choose to hurt you in their words and actions. Some even condemn you by spreading rumors and saying lies to ruin your reputation. Or they could gossip about you to other people, and let the town know your weaknesses just to scandalize and embarrass you, or make themselves look right. Your normal reaction to these things would definitely be negative feelings like vengeance and hatred.
Know that God is with you
To love your enemies is probably the hardest in our Catholic teaching. How hard it is to not wish badly those who’ve been unkind, untrue, ungrateful, and cruel to you! But what did Jesus do to James and John who wished their enemies ill? He rebuked them.
It sounded like Jesus was being ‘unfair’ for reprimanding the Apostles James and John, who were the right party here, and the helpers in bringing goodness and truth to these people.
But, my brothers and sisters in Christ, let us not feel sad, deprived, and frustrated for not being allowed to wish ill those bad party in our lives, our enemies. For when we know that we are the good party who speaks of truth and does righteousness, like James and John, know that God is with us. We don’t need to wish our enemy ill. In the Gospel, what the apostles did instead was to journey with the Lord Jesus to another village.
Like what Jesus did, after trying our hardest to reach out to our enemies, we must not waste any more energy with these people who just ‘shut off,’ pretend to be deaf and would not listen anymore. Our enemies are left behind in darkness. But like a good apostle, you and God are moving forward – we move forward with God to light and grace, to another village, to those who need us or our help, to those who appreciate us, to those who value us, to those who listen to us, and to those who are worthy of our love.
Enemies have no room for Jesus
The Samaritans in that village in the Gospel were not only simply unwelcoming. They refused to let Jesus in and bring them truth and goodness. The same thing is happening with your enemies. If you are wondering why they just can’t be good and perceive things with eyes and ears in the holy light of God, or why they’re in denial of their evil deeds to you, the reason is that Jesus has no room in their life. So their hearts are already hardened. Your enemies might even be Catholics who wear masks- they might be regular Mass-goers or members of parish groups. But God sees through their souls. If Jesus can’t see any space in their hearts, then He’ll just move on to another village, or to another person who is ready to receive Him.
Let yourself be that person! Let God and His righteousness into your life! Let Jesus, Our Blessed Mother, and the Saints in Heaven journey with you in the path of holiness and salvation!
Zechariah 8:20-23, Psalm 87, Mark 10:45, Luke 9:51-56
St. Joseph, pray for us!
Mama Mary, pray for us!
Amen.
She graduated cum laude from the University of Santo Tomas, the country's Pontifical and Catholic university, with an AB in Legal Management and minor units in Theology.
As an unmarried woman, prayer holds a central place in her daily life, with a focus on the Rosary and the Divine Office. Embodying her faith, she emphasizes the growth of her inner spiritual life, guided by the wisdom of Carmelite spirituality.
God manifested to her in a unique and radical manner, which made her know Who He truly is and led her to total surrender of her life to Him.
She has studied the Bible with her family, developing a particular fondness for the Old Testament.
Her adorable and intelligent toy poodle is a delightful companion in her daily life, bringing warmth and joy to her home.
Her hobbies include reading about everything, learning Japanese and German, listening to music and playing the flute.
In her leisure time, she enjoys gaming on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch OLED, Nintendo 3DS, iOS and OS, and collecting things related to PlayStation and Nintendo.
Email: [email protected]
Like 'The Best Catholic' on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheBestCatholic
Leave a Reply