SAINT ANTHONY OF PADUA, PRIEST AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH (MEMORIAL)

Offer no resistance to one who is evil. 

Ahab and Jezebel—whose story is told in today’s first reading—would have benefited from Jesus’ words here. Their plot to falsely accuse Naboth, have him killed, and take his land shows a selfishness that starkly contrasts with everything Jesus said and did. Instead of offering “no resistance to one who is evil,” they became evil themselves and abused a neighbor who hadn’t done anything “evil” to them (Matthew 5:39)!

We can describe the contrast between Ahab and Jezebel’s treachery and Naboth’s honesty as the difference between a logic of “devouring” and a logic of “self-giving.” According to the logic of devouring, we should always be feeding ourselves: with possessions, experiences, and status. This kind of logic can lead us to treat people as objects: we are interested in them only when it benefits us, and we discard them when they are no longer useful.

The logic of self-giving is the exact opposite: it is to be ready always to give, not consume. This is the “logic” of the Lord. Although he can do whatever he wants and take whatever he wants, God does not devour his creatures. He loves them and cares for them. It’s the logic that Jesus showed on the cross. Instead of demanding that his accusers submit to him—or worse, instead of just destroying them outright—he offered no resistance. He chose unjust suffering, all so that he could win our forgiveness.

We might fear that if we live according to the way of self-giving, we will end up like Naboth—or Jesus. If we don’t look out for ourselves, who will stop the devourers from overwhelming us? Of course, there is a difference between living selfishly and taking care of ourselves and our families. Jesus doesn’t want us to be irresponsible. But he does want us to be as generous and forgiving as possible. He wants us to go out of our way to care for each other—even when the person we are caring for doesn’t fully appreciate our efforts. In the end, we can trust that God will bless us. He promises, “All the hairs of your head are counted” and “Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:30, 39).

“Lord Jesus, help me to imitate you.”

Matthew 5:38-42
1 Kings 21:1-16
Psalm 5:2-7