But I say to you, love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your heavenly Father,
for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,
and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your heavenly Father,
for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,
and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
The problem with praying for your enemies is, once you start doing it, they’re not enemies anymore! And everybody needs enemies. Or so it would seem.
But the problem with having enemies is that it’s so narcissistic. Enemies are all about me. I decide who is good and who is bad. Everyone is either my friend or my enemy; and no one has not taken a stand for or against me. The world and its people revolve around me.
But even soldiers will tell you that framing the world through myself can be disastrous. When I decide someone is my enemy I first suppose he is wicked. And then I guess he is irreligious, uncultured and stupid. That’s obvious, isn’t it? Why would they not like me if they weren't wicked, uncouth and stupid?
But the soldier will tell you, “If you have prepared to fight a stupid enemy you are not well prepared. He’ll have you for breakfast." The soldier teaches me to respect my enemy. He is clever. But allowing him that modicum of humanity is like permitting the camel’s nose under the tent flap. There’s more to follow. Pretty soon I’ll recognize my enemy’s fidelity to his family, friends, nation and political ideology. And then I’ll notice his good taste in music and the arts. Eventually I may realize that his ancestors taught my ancestors how to read and write, much as the Muslims taught medieval Europeans the ABC’s of civilization. Finally, I’ll realize his needs are like mine and we’ll work out a peace.
But then I’ll have to find someone else to be my enemy because, after all, the world is all about me!
In my sixty-some years of life it seems every time we Americans go to war we suppose our enemies – the Vietnamese, Iraqis, Somalis and the Afghans are stupid -- and they have us for breakfast. We suppose our marvelous technology can trounce their primitive weapons; and they do at first. But then they go up to the local Radio Shack or Walgreens and purchase our most sophisticated toys, tinker a bit with them and blow our socks off. As Lenin reputedly said, "The capitalist will sell you the rope you use to hang him."
It makes me wonder if there is another way. Perhaps we should start by praying for our enemies.
Lord God, show mercy to their men, women and children. Give them adequate food, clothing, education and health care. Show them how to develop from their own native wisdom the means to prosper in our commonly-shared world.
Help us Lord to stand aside from them, offering no more help than they might want, and respecting always their ways that seem foreign to us.
Help us Lord to develop a better system of self-rule that might be the envy of the world; and when our system fails, Lord – as all systems fail – help us to find the fault within our own hearts, without blaming others.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen
Celebrate Juneteenth
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.