Love Your Enemy

June 19, 2007

Tuesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

For according to their means, I can testify, and beyond their means, spontaneously, they begged us insistently for the favor of taking part in the service to the holy ones, and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and to us through the will of God. 2 Corinthians 8:3-5

For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that for your sake he became poor although he was rich, so that by his poverty you might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9-10

You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. Matthew 5:445

Piety

Let us pray: God, help us to refrain from I putting our trust in those who hold civil and earthly powers. If we keep our faith in You forever, God, You will help us to secure justice for the oppressed, give food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free; the LORD gives sight to the blind. The LORD raises up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous. The LORD protects the stranger, sustains the orphan and the widow, but thwarts the way of the wicked. Help us to carry on these works of love and justice in the name of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (From Psalm 146:3-9)

Study

http://www.usccb.org/nab/061907.shtml

Jesus sets the standard for our Christian performance. He wants us to excel. He wants us to achieve the perfection of the Father.

Part of what Paul is relating in 2 Corinthians is how each Church shared with others. Despite the poverty of the church, they still sent relief to others in the region. Here we find the New Testament roots for Catholic Relief Services (www.crs.org), the official branch of the American Catholic church concerned with international relief and development.

St. Paul is hoping for an increase of such acts of generosity.

Now as you excel in every respect, in faith, discourse, knowledge, all earnestness, and in the love we have for you, may you excel in this gracious act also. I say this not by way of command, but to test the genuineness of your love by your concern for others. 2 Cor 8:7-8

Appropriately, the Psalm today also sings praises for those who work for justice based on a solid formation in faith.

Action

If Jesus gave up his wealth for us, the parallel for our giving – of our time, our talent and our treasure – is the focus of Christian outreach. Jesus wants us to turn around our own personal situation to help others.

He doesn’t want us to stop at just helping those who like us. He wants us to help those who despise us. It’s easy to help our friends and neighbors and we must do that. But we can not stop there if we are faithful to the Biblical call for justice. We must extend that assistance to those who hate us. Jesus doesn’t mince words on that score.

The latest front for sharing is in the middle of Palestine where fighting has erupted between factions. It is fitting that todays readings mirror a situation where the same area of the world where St. Paul was providing relief continues to need such assistance today. According to the CRS website:

As fighting between Palestinian political groups Hamas and Fatah continues in areas of the Gaza Strip, humanitarian agencies remain unable to make adequate assessments or deliver aid to residents who are without basic needs.

The conflict between Hamas and Fatah erupted on June 9 after Hamas forcibly took control of Fatah security posts in Gaza. So far, the violence, consisting of gunfire and use of heavy artillery, has claimed the lives of 70 people, including two United Nations aid workers, and injured more than 270 others.

"It's still not completely safe to do assessments as there is still some fighting going on," says Tom Garofalo, CRS' country representative for Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, also noting that there's limited communication and limited mobility. Last week, he described a situation so dangerous that CRS workers were confined to their homes, unable to look out of their windows for fear of being hit by stray bullets.

CRS has worked in the Holy Land for more than 40 years. With four offices within Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, CRS has provided a wide range of peacebuilding and aid outreach services to Palestinians, especially during troubled times.

Working with five partners in Gaza, CRS focuses on youth leadership initiatives in hopes of instilling the values of peace and democracy.

You can support the work of CRS in Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank by making a gift to support CRS and show the same generosity that the early church in Macedonia showered upon Jerusalem.