11TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Offer no resistance to one who is evil. 

While so many of Jesus’ teachings in his Sermon on the Mount are challenging, the one from today’s Gospel may be the most challenging of all. How can we “offer no resistance” and stand idly by when someone is trying to hurt us (Matthew 5:39)? That flies in the face of all our natural instincts!

The truth is, we can’t do this without fixing our gaze on the Lord. Jesus is our example for living out this teaching. He did not retaliate when he was being persecuted—not even during his passion! In fact, while we were still sinners—his “enemies”—he died for all of us (Romans 5:8). Even more, he came to offer us love and mercy on behalf of his heavenly Father. He became the source of grace we can draw on whenever we encounter injustice or evil.

Is there someone in your life who is an obvious adversary? Perhaps a trusted friend or loved one has betrayed you. Maybe someone at work is constantly criticizing you. Then there are those people who often upset you and cause you to lose your temper and lash out. In all these instances, and many more, the Lord wants you to let go of any thoughts or feelings of vengeance or retaliation. Instead, he wants you to rely on his love and mercy, and then trust that he is just and will see that justice is done in his own time and way.

We may not have warm feelings for our adversaries, but by keeping our eyes on Jesus, we can wish for their good. This gaze happens most effectively in prayer: intimate prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, convicting prayer while reading the Gospels, joyful prayer of praise and thanksgiving, and fruitful prayer after Communion.

The radical love and mercy Jesus is asking of us can only come into the world one person at a time. So when you want to retaliate, look at your struggle as an opportunity. When you respond to evil with God’s goodness, you are pouring the love of Christ into human hearts.

“Lord Jesus, I need your inexhaustible grace. Stay with me on my journey through this rough terrain.”

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