June 17: Loving and Forgiving / Amando y Perdonando

The ideal of loving our enemies and even praying for our persecutors (Matthew 5, 43-48) seems remote and unreal, until we remember Jesus’ own heroic example, praying for His executioners, as He was dying. (Luke 22, 34).

Further, as we heard during the recent Easter season, St. Stephen was the first documented martyr of the Church after the Resurrection of Jesus. His forgiveness of his persecutors is very reminiscent of Jesus’ forgiveness on the Cross. In the midst of his own death, St. Stephen cried out in prayer, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” (Acts 7, 60).

St. Paul, in First Corinthians 8, 1-9, echoes a similar self-giving love when telling the Christians in Corinth about the outstanding generosity shown by the churches of Macedonia. He was on a goodwill campaign, with the aim of collecting alms from the better-off Christians in Greece, to help the struggling church at Jerusalem. In this he was trying to be reconciled with the more conservative people in Jerusalem, who had rejected him, blocked his apostolic work for the gentiles, and even questioned his right to call himself a Christian.

So, are loving our enemies and praying for our persecutors as remote and unreal as we like to think they are? The Lord Himself and at least two great Saints appear to show us they are possible … and we already know they are necessary.

***

“Amen a sus enemigos. Hagan el bien a los que les odian, y rueguen por los que les persiguen.” (Mateo 5, 43-48)  Así nos ha dicho rotundamente el Señor.  Difícil, muy difícil. Pero eso es lo que Jesús hizo, y muchos de los Santos también. ¿Lo consideramos imposible para nosotros?

Jesús también nos dice en su Sermón de la Montaña, “Sean perfectos, como su Padre del cielo es perfecto.”  ¡Otra meta no fácil de conseguir! ¿Qué podemos hacer? Debemos salir de nosotros mismos para amar a todos y cada uno de nuestros hermanos y hermanas, incluidos también nuestros enemigos. Hemos de imitar al Maestro en su amor. Que Él nos dé gracia y valor para cumplirlo en nuestra vida, y con todo su poder nos bendiga.