Loving our enemies challenges us to confront what we reject in ourselves. Their faults often mirror our own, revealing the shadow we avoid. The people who turn us off usually do so because they carry our own faults in some form. When we choose love, we refuse to let the evil they do define them or dictate our response. Forgiveness clears the way, not by excusing harm but by removing its power to separate us. We see their humanity, however obscured, and recognize that no one is beyond redemption. This practice is demanding and uncomfortable, yet it aligns us with God’s inclusive love. We are called to be whole as God is whole, embracing even those who hurt us. Love transforms relationships, heals divisions, and embodies the gospel’s radical mercy.
May we see in those who challenge us
a reflection of ourselves and respond with
the transformative love that heals and unites.
(inspired by Richard Rohr, Sermon on the Mount; Martin Luther King Jr., Loving Your Enemies)
Agree, but it is easier to read about than to do. Thanks for the reminder, though.