OK, it just a bit, I will need three kids to come up and help me with someone thing. So to get ready for that: in the gospel Jesus says, “You have heard it said that you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” Now, some of you have real “certified enemies”. That is, people who have been really mean to you or hurt you. But many of you have only “sort of enemies.” That is, people who simply irritate you or you don’t gel with. And all of you have people who are “pretend enemies.” That is, people you don’t even know but you think they are your enemies because of how they vote, who they love, where they live, etc.
[Kids come up] I want you to pretend to be a door. Because we are playing that ever popular Game Show: WHAT TO DO WITH ENEMIES. [I give each a poster each door a number: #1, #2, #3]. So with all of these “enemies” what do we do with them? Well that’s the theme of today’s game show. We have before us: three doors and now I ask the audience which door to open to find out what to do with an enemy.
Audience picks a door. [That kid turns his/her poster around.] Behind door #2 is: DO NOTHING. That’s a common response. Somehow we think that if we just ignore them, then they’ll go away.
Audience picks a door. [That kid turns poster around] Behind door #1 is: FAKE IT. That is to fake a friendship. Ouch, this is a common response as many of us try to be “MN Nice.” This involves: fake smiles, phony compliments . . . but mostly snarky comments and gossip behind their back. And remember that with any gossip, when you hear/read something ask yourself, “It is true? Is it loving? Is it necessary?” If the answer is no to any, then DON’T share it.
Audience picks a door. [That kid turns poster around] Behind door #3 is: LOVE THEM, PRAY FOR THEM. This is toughest one of all. Because it involves wishing them no harm. Praying FOR them. That doesn’t mean praying for that jerk to change their ways; to become more like me and less like them. But if does involve praying for simply thing. [Kids go back to pews.]
For example, we pray that they get enough sleep: pray that they eat their vegetables; pray that have a restful day. You see, when you pray to simply “let them” be set up for grace, then you can let go and let God rush and take care of them. You will not change them. That’s God’s job.
But such an attitude doesn’t mean that you take on abuse or harsh behavior. For like St. Paul said in the second reading, “You are the temple of God.” You are the place that God dwells. So when Jesus talks about getting stroke on the right cheek, he’s speaking to a mostly right-handed audience . . . so being struck on the right cheek is to be backhanded slapped. Which can be humiliating, as if you are beneath them. Turn the other cheek to say, “I am your equal. I will not lower myself to your standard.”
Or with the tunic, which is an undergarment, sort of like a long t-shirt with a belt around it. In a sense it’s underwear. And if someone goes to law over your underwear, don’t even belittle yourself with such goofiness, give them your coat as well.
Finally Roman Soldiers could force a person to carry their pack for exactly 1 mile but no more than that. They could do this just to be bullies, so if the person carried it further (like 2 miles) it would reflect back on the Soldier for abuse and the Soldier could be found out and punished.
It’s as if Jesus is giving us another angle to LOVE AN ENEMY . . . don’t fight back on evil terms. Don’t lower yourself to be on their low level. This is so important for you kids, or for you on Social Media. Maintain your dignity, even in the face of injustice. Be noble which may inspire the person to want to become their better self. Go beyond what comes easily or naturally, Lincoln calls this our “better angels.” Think of Jesus, or Paul, or Gandhi or Dorothy Day or Martin Luther King Jr.
So think of an issue that you are currently face with an “enemy.” What do you do? Well, the best criticism of the bad is the practice of the better. As we celebrate President’s Day on Monday, remember the words of Abraham Lincoln, “My concern is not whether God is our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”