You have heard that it was said,
"An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth."
But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.
When someone strikes you on your right cheek,
turn the other one to him as well.
If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic,
hand him your cloak as well.
The Latin word gracia is translated as freedom; it is the root word for grace, graceful and gracious. One who dances gracefully moves with ease and freedom, without the appearance of lumbering effort. One who gives graciously does not count the cost and never expects repayment.
A Christian, animated by grace, is free of cultural and social expectations like vendettas, reprisals, and retaliation. She dismisses the very notion. Suffering insult or abuse, the Christian recognizes the suffering, sadness, and deeper hurt of the offending party.
This may sound idealistic to some, (meaning unattainable); but scripture and hagiography assure us that ordinary human beings have demonstrated such freedom. If Jesus suffered a soul-shattering reluctance in the Garden of Gethsemane it passed. By the time the temple guards arrived to arrest him he had regained his composure and willingly surrendered to their violence. His disciples, cowardly in the same Garden, hiding in the Upper Room throughout the weekend, found their freedom as the Holy Spirit fell on them. Fifty days later they went out to tell the whole world about the resurrection of Jesus and their own cowardice.
Can I attain such freedom?
Clearly, I don't have it today!
Like anything else, it begins with the imagination. If I can't imagine it I certainly cannot do it. And so we study the scriptures and the lives of the saints and we admire their courage and serenity in the face of opposition. That admiration is already a kind of conversion because many people -- those who worship only an all-powerful god -- despise weakness. They cannot imagine a messiah born in Bethlehem or a god who carries a cross to Calvary.
Secondly, we practice ordinary works of charity. Saint Ignatius described the process of conversion as beginning with the resolution never to commit a mortal sin. And then, venial sin. And then to avoid the occasion of sin while practicing virtue, which also begins with small acts of generosity, patience, and sacrifice. Saint Theresa of Avila, always practical, said you don't start a fire with logs but with kindling. Neither can you expect to make great sacrifices when you've never made small ones.
So we learn to practice patience with our immediate family, friends, and colleagues; overlooking misunderstandings and occasional rebuffs. We don't take things personally, least of all when they're not personal. Turning the other cheek when no offence was intended. And then, when they are!
We just can't be bothered with that sort of nonsense.
The remarkable Etty Hillesum determined with a friend that they would not let the Nazis, who had invaded their homeland and arrested all the Jews, force them to hate. She spent many hours in prayer and meditation during the ensuing months. As she and her family were transported to the death camp she slipped out a postcard to her friends, "We have left the camp singing!"
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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.