Love your neighbours. Love your enemies.

 7TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

[ Matthew 5: 38-48 ]

   Why Christianity?

As we begin the Season of Lent this Ash Wednesday (22 Feb 2023), perhaps it is time for us to reflect on our Christian intention and Christian identity:

   “Why do I want to be a Christian?”

   “Why do I remain a Christian?”

Many people become or remain a Christian for various reasons.

• To some, Christianity is probably a hype and ‘insta-famous’ religion. We choose to become or remain a Christian in order to get married in Church and to have awesome photographs and impressive videos taken so that we can generate more online ‘views’ and ‘likes’.

• To others, Christianity is probably the most economical religion. A Christian funeral is probably much cheaper and more cost-effective.

• To some others, Christianity is probably the most lucrative religion. We can probably promote our businesses, build extensive business networking and generate more profits.

• And to many others, Christianity is probably the most easy religion. It is commonly perceived that Christianity is easy because there are ‘not many’ religious laws or observances. Since the Christian God is a God of mercy and love, therefore I can freely create my own rules, do whatever I want, however I want, whenever I want and wherever I want. God loves sinners; I can easily get away with my brokenness, wretchedness and sinfulness because God understands and God will forgive me.

   Christianity is a HARD religion.

If we reflect deeply, we will know that the above perceptions about Christianity are NEVER true.

• Christianity is NEVER a hype or ‘insta-famous’ religion. Look at the Beatitudes, Christianity is countercultural. While the world exalts and worships riches and overflowing abundance, might and strength, fun and entertainment, binge feasting and luxurious indulgences, unforgiveness and retaliations, supremacy and dominance, worldly fame and personal glories…, our Lord Jesus teaches us [Mt 5: 1-12], “Blessed are the poor in spirit… blessed are the gentle… blessed are those who mourn… blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice… blessed are the merciful… blessed are the pure in heart… blessed are the peacemakers… blessed are the persecuted for the cause of uprightness…” The Beatitudes of Christ are often viewed with contempt and regarded as foolishness and insanities by the world. Being Christians means we are contradicting the world, going against the norms, and we risk becoming unpopular, hated, persecuted and condemned.

• Christianity is NEVER an economical religion. We cannot be calculative with God. Being a Christian means we have to – in St Ignatius’ words – always seek to know and do God’s holy will. And to seek and do God’s holy will means we need to ‘give, and not to count the cost; to fight, and not to heed the wounds; to toil, and not to seek for rest; to labour, and not to ask for reward’.

• Christianity is NEVER a lucrative religion. Our Lord Jesus has told us [Mt 6: 19-21] ‘not (to) store up treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal’. All earthly things are passing away, our hearts should be directed to God and to our eternal dwelling place in heaven.

• Christianity is NEVER an easy religion. In all truth, Christianity is a hard, irrational and insane religion. Just last Sunday, our Lord Jesus gave us a NEW standard higher than the old. He has sternly told us [Mt 5: 20], “If your virtues goes no deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will NEVER get into the kingdom of God.” He also warns us that we WILL go to hell unless we repent of our sins and change our evil ways [Mt 5: 29-30], “If your eye should cause you to sin, tear it out… If your hand cause you to sin, cut it off.” Indeed, unless we cut off our sinful habits and inordinate attachments, we WILL go to hell.

   Christianity is a ‘HEART’ religion.

Quoting the 4th Century bishop and doctor of the Church, St Ambrose, the Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC 766] teaches that: “As Eve was formed from the sleeping Adam's side, so the Church was born from the pierced Heart of Christ hanging dead on the cross.”

Christianity (the Church) is born of the Loving and Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Mystical Body of Christ – you and me included – are configured to love and called to love from the HEART: to love God, to love others, to love ourselves, and yes, to even love our human enemies.

• To love God. Above all things, love God. We must love the Trinitarian God ‘with all our HEART, and with all our soul, and with all our mind’ [Mt 22: 37].

• To love others. “You must not bear hatred for your brother in your HEART… You must love your neighbour as yourself.” [Lv 19: 17 & 18]

• To love ourselves. “Didn’t you realise that you were God’s Temple and that the Spirit of God was living among you?... God’s Temple is sacred; and you are that Temple.” [1 Co 3: 16-17] By the grace of Baptism and Confirmation, we are the Temple of the Holy Spirit; and we ought to treat our bodies with love, care, honour and respect.

• To even love our human enemies. This probably is one of the hardest teachings of our Lord Jesus. It is hard enough to love our demanding parents, our difficult siblings, our stubborn children, our estranged family members, unsupportive friends, our mean bosses, unhelpful colleagues, angry clients and toxic people… Now, our Lord Jesus is imposing on us a HIGHER calling – to love our human enemies – to ‘be PERFECT just as our heavenly Father is perfect’! [Mt 5: 48]

   To be HOLY, love your neighbours. To be PERFECT, love your enemies.

Reflecting on the Scripture Readings for the 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time, we can safely come to this conclusion:

“To be HOLY, love your neighbours.

To be perfect, love your enemies.”

On our path towards the God of holiness and perfection, we need to learn to love our demanding parents, our difficult siblings, our stubborn children, our estranged family members, unsupportive friends, our mean bosses, unhelpful colleagues, angry clients and toxic people… and yes, even our greatest human enemies. As much as we refuse to acknowledge it, even our human enemies – who are out to hurt us, harm us or destroy us – are created by God in His own image and likeness!

Love does not mean agreeing with, condoning with, tolerating with, or compromising with sin and evil. Love – as defined by St Thomas Aquinas – is ‘the choice to will the good of the other’. Our Lord Jesus challenges us to take love a step further and to pray for those who are out to hurt us, harm us or destroy us. It is really difficult to pray for these people who cause us a lot of headaches and heartaches, pains and sufferings.

Perhaps the reason why our Lord Jesus has asked us to pray for our enemies is ultimately for our own good: our prayer might not change our enemies, but we are changed by our prayers. Prayer changes who we are. Through prayer, our Lord Jesus bandages our wound, strengthens us, and gradually forms our heart anew after His own Sacred Heart so that we can love like Christ loves.

No wonder St Mother Teresa of Calcutta has this to say, “… the fruit of prayer is faith; the fruit of faith is love...” Christian love is NOT a warm fuzzy romantic feeling. Christian love flows from the praying heart; it flows from the Sacred Heart. Perhaps this Lent, we can make it a point to start praying for our enemies and start loving them.

Let our fervent prayer be:

   “O Sacred Heart of Jesus, teach me how to pray and give me the courage to love.”

Let us also pray that God’s justice, peace, truth and love may prevail in Ukraine, Sri Lanka and Nicaragua.