Loading today's devotional...
No devotional available for this date.
Love Your Enemies
Where We Are
Tuesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time. The Sermon on the Mount reaches its most radical demand. Yesterday, Jesus taught nonviolent resistance. Today, he goes further: love your enemies. This is the summit of the antitheses, the climax of Jesus's transformation of the Law. In the first reading, the prophet Elijah confronts Ahab over the murder of Naboth, and even the wicked king finds the door to repentance open.
The Word
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor, and you shall have hatred for your enemy.' But I say to you: Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. And pray for those who persecute and slander you" (Matthew 5:44). Why? "In this way, you shall be sons of your Father, who is in heaven." For God makes the sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there? Even sinners do that. "Therefore, be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
Continue Reading
Sign in to read the full devotional and receive it in your inbox each morning - a quiet moment of reflection to start your day.
By signing in, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
Reflect
This is arguably the most difficult commandment Jesus ever gave. Love your enemies. Not tolerate them. Not ignore them. Love them. Actively seek their good. Pray for them. Do good to them.
Jesus grounds this command in God's own character. The Father does not withhold sunshine from the wicked or rain from the unjust. His love is not selective; it is universal. To be children of this Father means imitating this indiscriminate generosity. "Be perfect" does not mean "be flawless." The Greek word teleios means complete, whole, mature. Be complete in your love, the way God is complete in his.
Ahab's story provides a surprising counterpoint. After Elijah confronts him, Ahab tears his clothes and fasts. Even this corrupt king is not beyond the reach of God's mercy. The Lord tells Elijah that because Ahab humbled himself, judgment will be delayed. If God can show mercy to Ahab, then no enemy is beyond the reach of our prayers.
Loving enemies does not mean pretending they have not hurt us. It means refusing to let hatred define our relationship to them. It means choosing their good even when they have chosen our harm. This is not natural. It is supernatural. It requires the grace of God working in us.
Living It
Name one person you consider an enemy, an opponent, or someone who has wronged you. Pray for them by name today. Ask God to bless them. This is not easy, but it is the command of Christ.
Reflect on God's indiscriminate generosity. He sends rain on the just and unjust alike. Where can you extend kindness to someone who does not deserve it? That is the practice of enemy love.
"Be perfect as your Father is perfect" means be complete in love. Do not reserve your compassion for those who reciprocate. Let it overflow to everyone.
Prayer
Father, you make the sun rise on the evil and the good. Teach us to love as you love, without conditions, without limits. When we encounter enemies, give us the grace to pray for them, to seek their good, and to trust that your mercy can reach even the hardest heart. Make us complete in love. Amen.
Today's reflection draws from Matthew 5:43-48 and 1 Kings 21:17-29 (CPDV), per the Ordo Lectionum Missae.
Signed in as ·
