As Lent has ended and we are approaching Easter, the commandment of Jesus that we should love our neighbours and, yes, our enemies, seems to loom very large on my horizon. The apparent defeat of the Good Friday Passion and the triumph of the Resurrection put this commandment into focus. Jesus was able to ask his heavenly Father to forgive those who were executing him so violently. He didn't say that he loved them, but I must conclude that he did love them. This begs the question, is it possible for us to actually do the same and love our enemies? I don’t know about you, but it seems almost impossible for me.
So, I want to delve into this commandment which is
seemingly impossible to keep. Fortunately, I have had access to a few
reflections which I have found helpful in exploring this conundrum.
First, there is the perspective of Rabbi
Shai Held; author of Judaism is About Love. He makes the helpful
clarification that love is not a feeling - rather it is a disposition:
I can
have a disposition to love, but if you actually ask me what I’m feeling right
now, what I’m feeling is grumpy and heartbroken. Right. When people talk about,
you know, the spiritual life being built on a feeling, that’s by definition a
dead end because feelings are fleeting. You can’t have any feeling … no one
feels love all the time.
The understanding or belief that love
is a feeling is, I believe, generally a widely accepted one. However, to
realize that you can love someone and not feel warm and fuzzy to them all, or
even most of the time, is very helpful.
The next perspective on love that is a
helpful clarification is that love is not in opposition to justice. Zoe Matties
notes:
Dr.
Cornel West speaking at the University of Winnipeg on the power of love in the
face of great evil. One line from his impassioned lecture sticks with me to
this day: “justice is what love looks like in public.”
It is a common misconception that
forgiveness – which is intricately bound up in loving someone – means that the
person being forgiven an offence avoids the consequences of their
actions. Matties expounds on this concept quoting Saint Augustine, “Hope
has two lovely daughters, Anger and Courage. Anger so that what cannot be, may
not be, and courage, so that what must be, will be.” Following on this she
quotes theologian Dorothee Soelle, “Loving our enemies is impossible if we do
not first name our enemies and tell the truth about the injustices we see.”
Finally, I will close with one of the
Daily Words from the Society of St. John the Evangelist (SSJE):
Abide:
Jesus tells his disciples, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you;
abide in my love.” Jesus’ love is such that he willingly lays down his life for
us. As we turn our hearts and minds to Holy Week, let us choose to abide in
that love, a love that lays itself down, not to conquer empires, but to conquer
death. Br. Jamie Nelson, SSJE
Abiding in, or having a disposition of
love, seems to me to be a way of living that I can make an effort to
attempt. May you be blessed this week and always.
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