SAINT JOHN NEUMANN, BISHOP (MEMORIAL)

Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him. 

John’s comparison of hatred to murder may sound a bit exaggerated, but somewhere inside us, we can sense there is some truth to it. After all, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus linked anger with killing (Matthew 5:21-22). If he was concerned about anger, imagine what he would say about letting hatred take root in our hearts. We know that God doesn’t want us to hate our brother or sister, but sometimes it can be very difficult to feel anything else. This is especially true if that person has hurt us deeply or stands for something we strongly disagree with. In either case, we can get trapped in a cycle of hatred and resentment that poisons our hearts.

Unfortunately, holding on to hatred can sometimes feel like the easiest option. That’s because hatred is deceptive. It convinces us to avoid addressing whatever is prompting our negative emotions. It tells us that we have every right to hate someone and that we don’t need to consider their perspective or their situation. Better to remain locked in this dark abyss rather than work our way out. But St. John is asking us to put aside these extreme feelings and replace our hatred with the love and compassion of the Lord.

That’s not to say letting go of hatred is easy. It can be very hard! But there is one way we can begin to chip away at it, and it involves both prayer and action. First, make it a point to pray for the person—and for yourself. Ask the Spirit to help you bless that person and to see them as Jesus sees them. Then follow up your prayer with action. Celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Ask the Lord to forgive you for harboring hatred and for the grace to forgive the person who has hurt you.

“This is the message you have heard from the beginning: we should love one another” (1 John 3:11). Through the persistent practice of prayer and reconciliation, we can find the freedom we all long for: the freedom to love.

“Lord, teach me to put aside all hatred so that I can love every one of my brothers and sisters.”

1 John 3:11-21
Psalm 100:1-5
John 1:43-51