Love your ENEMIES?
I’ve often heard Luke 6:27-38 and brushed it off like, “Sure, sure Jesus, I’ve got you! I’ll love my enemies!” I have found it relatively easy to pray for and “love” those that I have deemed as enemies for years; tyrant leaders, the rude coffee barista, the loved one that betrayed, the colleague that ruled with harshness and fury, the relative that turned their back on us, or the CEO of a well known abortion provider.
I was satisfied with my effort to pick up my cross, lift them in prayer, and stand with a posture of love.
But what if I haven’t taken the time to let our Lord bring into the light the hidden ones that I’ve created as enemies of my heart? It becomes clearer as I journey waist-deep into the waters of the spiritual life, that I’ve often missed the boat.
What if we’ve been picking up the wrong “enemy” cross all these years? What if the bigger cross that Christ was asking you to lift has been dragging through the mud, weighing down your forward progression this whole time?
These hidden enemies of our hearts, have a quiet, yet dark power over our freedom, joy, and greater communion with our most perfect Father. They are not just enemies as the world defines. No, Jesus does not limit our enemies to the villains in our lives. Rather, we have to look deep to identify the sneaky “enemies of our capacity to love” that we’ve villainized and let reside in our hearts.
Every soul aches with these hidden ones that sting and pierce us. Maybe it’s your spouse who never seems to respect you, the friend that never shows up as much as you do, or the always pregnant women in your life while you struggle over fertility heartaches. Maybe it’s the friend who doesn’t have financial woes like you, the mom that appears perfect, or the seemingly happy marriage that reminds you how broken yours is.
When we open the doors and let them reside as enemies deep within us, in places once designed for love alone, we slowly become full of small, dark, and destructive rooms in the chambers of our heart. We feed pride, jealousy, and contempt in our souls.
So this week, when the Sunday Gospel reminds us to love our enemies, maybe ask God to shed light on the ones you have secretly villainized, kept hidden, and tucked away in the dark corners of your heart.
