Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.

“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.” Martin Luther King, Jr.: (1929 –1968: was an American Baptist minister and activist, who was a leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement)

Gospel Text: (Mt 5:43-48)

Jesus said to his disciples:

“You have heard that it was said,

You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.

But I say to you, love your enemies

and pray for those who persecute you,

that you may be children of your heavenly Father,

for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,

and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.

For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?

Do not the tax collectors do the same?

And if you greet your brothers only,

what is unusual about that?

Do not the pagans do the same?

So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Today, Christ invites us to love. To love without measure, which is the measure of true Love. God is Love, «who makes his sun rise on both the wicked and the good, and gives rain to both the just and the unjust» (Mt 5:45)

How are we to love our enemies? The simple answer is: As Jesus did on Calvary. And how do we do this? By God’s Grace alone. It is IMPOSSIBLE to love your enemies with human strengthen that excludes God’s merciful help.

A Christian, truly Christian, should not love “in an interested” way; it is not enough to give a piece of bread or our alms to the kid at the traffic lights. We have to give our very selves to others. When dying on the Cross, Christ forgave those who crucified him. No reproach, no complaint, not even a wry face...

To love without expecting anything in return. When it comes to loving we need no calculators. Perfection is to love with no measure. And we hold perfection in our hands amidst the world, amidst our daily chores.

Its important to note that Jesus, who loved his enemies to the end was sinless (and we are not), but still had plenty of enemies because of His unwillingness to compromise with evil. To whatever extent we may, through God’s grace, bear holiness in our own lives, we too will win enemies for this reason. When this occurs remember the last of the eight beatitudes, which Jesus gave us in His Sermon on the Mount:

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”