You have heard that it was said, “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.… If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? —Matthew 5:43–48
In a 2017 homily based on this Scripture passage, Father Richard reminds us of the foundational requirements of Christian living:
As Christians, we proclaim that this scripture has authority over our lives, but I am hearing from more and more pastors from all denominations that they are afraid to preach the gospel in this country because they know half the church will walk out. You know what I’m talking about. We are in a state of such deceit, dishonesty, and lack of love for anybody but ourselves that is almost impossible to preach the gospel. The ancient Israelites were told “to love your neighbor,” but Jesus takes it to the nth degree. He says, “No—love your enemy.”
Is there anything happening in America today that would make you think we believe we should “love our enemies”? If Christians do not decide to finally be like Jesus, then let’s just give up on this whole Christian thing. It doesn’t mean anything! If it’s just going to church on Sunday, then we have to stop pretending we’re following Jesus, because we’re just like everybody else—we are into power and money and deceit and war. If we do not preach the gospel, if we do not begin to live the gospel now, then let’s stop pretending that we care about Jesus or about following Jesus.
We are in a very scary position in the United States, and the whole world sees it. We are called to engage in a great mobilization, recognition, conversion, and transformation, because now the issues are too big, too real, and too right in front of us every day.
We cannot be silent any longer. Do not expect me to be silent, and I won’t expect you to be silent, either. It’s going to take courage. It’s going take each of us making little decisions in our little worlds to love, not just our neighbors, but even to pray for our enemies, to pray for our president, to pray for our country. If we can’t do these little things, what does it all mean?
Every one of us in this room has power. To pretend we don’t, so we can just be silent is to say what’s happening is OK and it isn’t! I just read the gospel aloud and held the book above you. You stood up and you said, “Thanks be God,” so now let’s say thanks be to God with our lives. Thank you for allowing me to preach the gospel.
Reference:
Adapted from Richard Rohr, “There Is No Such Thing as Being Nonpolitical,” homily, February 19, 2017.
Image credit and inspiration: Eyoel Khassay, Untitled (detail), 2020, photo, Ethiopia, Unsplash. Click here to enlarge image. We plant trees as an offering of communal good for the future.
Story from Our Community:
In my experience, we go through multiple cycles of order, disorder, and reorder. I just retired as a clergywoman and am once again in a stage of disorder. The good news is that I can recognize it now. I’m now able to relax into the tumbling of my world. Reorder has not yet emerged, and won’t for a while, but I am confident Spirit will see me through.
—Kim D.
