Dearly Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Today’s Gospel presents us with one of the most demanding commandments of our Lord: “As you wish that people would do to you, do so to them… Love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return.”
It is easy to love those who love us, to help those who help us, and to forgive those who quickly ask for forgiveness. Yet Christ calls us to something far greater, to love without expecting repayment, to forgive without demanding vindication, and to do good even to those who have wounded us.
According to Saint Cyril of Alexandria, the Lord raises us above the ordinary standards of human behavior. Christians are not called merely to return affection for affection or kindness for kindness. We are called to imitate the goodness of God Himself, “for He is kind to the unthankful and to the evil.”
Saint John Chrysostom teaches that love for one’s enemies is not weakness. On the contrary, it is one of the greatest spiritual victories. The person who takes revenge remains imprisoned by anger, but the person who forgives becomes free. Hatred binds us to the one who has harmed us; forgiveness places both ourselves and the other person into the hands of God.
This does not mean that Christians must approve injustice, remain silent before evil, or refuse to protect those who are vulnerable. Love never calls evil good. Nevertheless, even when we oppose wrongdoing, we must refuse to hate the person who has committed it. We must remember that every human being, however wounded or sinful, still bears the image of God.
Saint Silouan the Athonite regarded love for one’s enemies as one of the clearest signs of the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Father Alexander Schmemann remind us that the life of the Church is the manifestation of the Kingdom of God within this world. Each Divine Liturgy proclaims a Kingdom in which division, hostility, and death have no final authority. We cannot receive the Body and Blood of Christ while willingly preserving hatred in our hearts. The Holy Eucharist calls us to become people of reconciliation, mercy, and peace.
The commandment to love our enemies begins with small but real steps, refusing to repeat an unkind word, praying for someone who has offended us, resisting the desire for revenge, and performing a hidden act of kindness without expecting recognition. Amen!
