He Who Is Not with Me Is against Me
A single serious fault can overshadow many virtues, highlighting the need for integrity in one’s character. “If you are friends with one habit of mortal sin you live in death, even though you may seem to have all the other virtues.” [1] No accumulation of good qualities can justify harboring a fundamental evil within the heart. This teaches that spiritual authenticity requires a holistic transformation, not a partial one (Galatians 5:9). It is not enough to cultivate goodness in some areas of life while tolerating corruption in others, for the presence of even one persistent sin distorts the entire soul.
One cannot do right in one department of life whilst occupied in doing wrong in any other department. Life is one indivisible whole. ―Mahatma Gandhi
True virtue cannot coexist with selfishness disguised as goodness. “If you are unselfish in one way and selfish in twenty-five other ways your virtue will not do you much good.” [1] Virtue is not a matter of isolated deeds but of consistent character. When good behavior masks deeper selfish motives, it corrupts rather than purifies the soul (Luke 11:42). Such fragmented virtue leads to self-deception, where the ego convinces itself of goodness while remaining blind to its own contradictions.
Loving enemies is an essential expression of divine love. “Do not think that you can show your love for Christ by hating those who seem to be His enemies on earth.” [1] Hatred, even for those who oppose what is sacred, contradicts the very nature of divine love (Luke 23:34). To unite with the heart of God, one must love even those who reject Him. Love is not conditioned upon the worthiness of its object; it flows from the nature of the one who loves.
Hatred toward perceived enemies of faith risks spiritual self-destruction. “If you hate the enemies of the Church instead of loving them, you too will run the risk of becoming an enemy of the Church, and of Christ.” [1] Christ's command to love enemies is not a suggestion but a safeguard for the soul, ensuring that opposition does not breed hatred within (1 John 4:20). If we do not love as He loves, we do not belong to Him, regardless of how noble our cause may seem.
Enemies may be shaped by fear or misunderstanding, and love has the power to break the cycle of hostility. “Perhaps if he believed you were capable of loving him he would no longer be your enemy.” [1] Fear often masquerades as enmity, and love has the power to transform relationships (Acts 9:3-6). The enemy we fear may only be waiting for an act of compassion to dissolve the hostility. Our task is not to conquer enemies but to win them through love, turning hostility into reconciliation.
Personal conflict should not be mistaken for divine opposition. “Do not be too quick to assume that your enemy is an enemy of God just because he is your enemy.” [1] A person’s opposition to you may stem from their reaction to your faults rather than a rejection of God (Matthew 7:3). This calls for humility in assessing conflicts and recognizing that we may be the source of the division. Before condemning others, we must examine whether our own actions have contributed to their resistance.
A lack of love and witness to God’s goodness can create hostility. “Perhaps he is your enemy precisely because he can find nothing in you that gives glory to God.” [1] The absence of compassion, patience, and grace in one’s life can repel others from faith (John 13:35). Often, what people reject is not God but the unloving image of God they see in us. When Christians fail to reflect divine love, they make God seem distant and unappealing, alienating those who might otherwise seek Him.
Coldness and hypocrisy in believers can destroy another’s faith. “Do not be too quick to condemn the man who no longer believes in God, for it is perhaps your own coldness and avarice... that have killed his faith.” [1] It is a sobering truth that the actions and attitudes of believers can cause others to lose their faith (Matthew 23:13). If our lives do not reflect the beauty and truth of God, we may become stumbling blocks rather than guides to the kingdom.
True Christianity demands solidarity and generosity, reflecting the communal spirit of the early Church. Christian life involves a radical openness to sharing one’s resources, not through coercion but through love and a recognition of shared humanity (Acts 4:34).
Private property is a right, but it carries a moral duty to serve the needs of others. “No one denied those men the right to own land… Yet that right implied an obligation to satisfy the needs of others as well as their own.” [1] The right to own is inseparable from the responsibility to give (1 Timothy 6:18). Property, in the Christian view, is not a fortress of personal gain but a vessel for communal good.
Failure to live out Christian teachings on wealth and sharing created space for distorted ideologies. “If Christians had lived up to the Church’s teaching about property and poverty there would never have been any occasion for the spurious communism of the Marxists.” [1] The Church’s neglect of its own radical call to justice allowed false ideologies to arise as counterfeit solutions to real injustices. Where true Christian love is absent, the world will seek alternatives, often in ways that distort rather than restore.
Generosity is not only an obligation but a path to joy and spiritual perfection. “If you have money, consider that perhaps the only reason God allowed it to fall into your hands was in order that you might find joy and perfection by giving it all away.” [1] True joy lies not in accumulating wealth but in using it to alleviate suffering and uplift others (Acts 20:35). Those who cling to riches lose their soul’s freedom, while those who give find abundance in God.
It is hypocritical to advise the poor to accept their suffering without sharing in it. “It is easy enough to tell the poor to accept their poverty as God’s will when you yourself have warm clothes and plenty of food.” [1] Spiritual authority on suffering is earned through solidarity, not distance (James 2:16).
Authentic witness requires solidarity through lived experience. “But if you want them to believe you—try to share some of their poverty and see if you can accept it as God’s will yourself!” [1] The heart of Christian witness lies in presence and participation (2 Corinthians 8:9). Those who suffer believe not in words but in companionship.
Compassion grows from proximity and shared struggle, not distant charity. The truest expression of love for the poor is not merely in giving but in living alongside them (Galatians 6:2). Only through shared experience can one fully understand both suffering and resilience.
Poverty, when entered into willingly for the sake of others, becomes a path of grace. The witness of voluntary simplicity can transform society’s values, reminding all that the measure of life is not wealth but love.
[1] Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation