Don't Be The Enemy

      ^{Mt 5:22} But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. (Matthew 5:22)

But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? (Matthew 5:44-46)

          You mean, love the Conservatives or Liberals or the extremists of some other category who "are determined to destroy our country"? You mean, love those abusive, angry, egotistical, entitled, hateful, hypocritical, intolerant, lazy, murderous, narcissistic, oppressive, self-righteous, selfish, violent individuals who "don't deserve to be called human beings"? Love the psychopathics who kill children? Love the pedophile? Love the person who burns or walks on the flag? Love the ones who destroy their own community for the sake of attention? Love the tyrant who shoves his own philosophy down your throat? Love the racist (of whatever race) or sexist (of whatever sex)  or idealog (of whatever ideology) who wants to keep you in "your place"? According to Jesus, that's how we may be the sons of our Father in heaven.

           What does it mean to love our enemies? Jesus told us that the Father causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteousness. Loving our enemies requires that we extend to them the same general grace that we extend to those who are not our enemies. It means we do not deny them their humanity. We do not mock them. We do not ridicule them. We do not insult them. We do as much as we can to accommodate them until or unless it involves violating what God has commanded us to do.

          Loving our enemy does not involve granting that enemy special favor any more than forgiving involves saying that the injury forgiven wasn't wrong. It does not free the enemy from the consequences of his action or his beliefs. It does involve not permitting the enemy to control your actions toward him or any more than is necessary. It's not necessarily about allowing someone who means to do you harm into your home. It is about not letting that person's wish to do you harm turn you into someone who wishes to do him/her harm. You might actually be in a position in which it is necessary to restrain, harm or even kill him, but loving your enemy means that such is not your preference or your source of (anticipated) joy. Instead, your anticipated joy should be in turning that enemy into a friend, even if it costs you everything except your principles and your enemy nothing.
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In the Sky:
New Moon