Spiritually Speaking
IT’S BEEN A DIFFICULT FEW WEEKS getting my head around all that has happened in our world since the last time I wrote an article for this newspaper. I actually find myself unable to watch the news some evenings and choose to go for a walk or read a book or call someone on the phone and catch up on what’s going on in her life. I really like to sit on my porch and watch for the turkeys or deer to come around and simply rejoice in the beauty of nature that surrounds us on our lovely campus. It helps keep me from being overwhelmed by the ugliness and pain of war, natural disasters, violence of many kinds, and the killing of people in nearby cities.
Jesus told us to love our countrymen (and I assume the women), and he also told us to love our enemies. He also showed us how and when to do this. The former is usually easy to pull off and the latter is often quite a challenge but I try to do it anyway. I was somewhat encouraged by the words of St. Thomas Aquinas quoted above when he too told us to love both those who share our opinions and those who do not. I never thought that people who do not agree with me have labored in the search for the truth of what they believe as I have labored for the truth of what I believe. Nor have I ever considered that people I disagree with actually helped me find the reasons for the truths I profess. What an interesting way to “love your enemy” by being grateful for them helping you to form the very ideas and opinions that help you establish your truths. If only our religious and secular leaders could appreciate this message.
There is certainly another important point to this message that deals with the spiritual aspect of this command to not only love your enemies but pray for them and those who persecute you so you can be God’s sons and daughters. That raises the question, do you want to be God’s son or daughter?
Have you ever thought of that in relation to this “loving your enemies” commandment? It’s one of the commands that Jesus gave us that offers a reward when it’s carried out. It’s easy too. All I have to do is pray for them, or is it? That would depend on what you call prayer and how or why you pray.
Let us pray— Oh, God, help me to be your daughter (son) who is open to all the people I meet this day. Let me listen and not judge, let me help when I am able and find help when I am not. Give me the graces I need today and help me to use them where they are needed.
I look forward to being united with you in heaven. Help me to be kind, patient, and loving on my way there.
So be it!
Sister Mary Thill is a Sylvania Franciscan Sister. She can be reached at mthill@sistersosf.org. ✲
You have heard that it was said,
‘You shall love your countrymen and hate your enemy.’
But I say to you, love your enemies and pray
for those who persecute you, that you may be sons
and daughters of your heavenly God.
+Matthew 5:43-45
We must love them both—
Those whose opinions we share,
Those whose opinions we don’t share.
They’ve both labored in the search for
Truth and have both helped us in finding it.
+Thomas Aquinas
