Loving Truth

A Reflection on the Gospel for February 24th, 2019:
Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Luke 6

Jesus said to his disciples: "I say this to you who are listening: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who treat you badly. To the man who slaps you on one cheek, present the other cheek too; to the man who takes your cloak from you, do not refuse your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and do not ask for your property back from the man who robs you. Treat others as you would like them to treat you.

"If you love those who love you, what thanks can you expect? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what thanks can you expect? For even sinners do that much. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what thanks can you expect? Even sinners lend to sinners to get back the same amount. Instead, love your enemies and do good, and lend without any hope of return. You will have a great reward, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.

"Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged yourselves; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned yourselves; grant pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap; because the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given back."

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This passage is a beautiful challenge. Do not judge, love your enemy, be compassionate. This beautiful passage is often conflated with a sort of live and let live kind of attitude. Yet as Christians we are called to speak the truth in love. Speaking the truth doesn’t mean judging. It means using the opportunity before us to help someone in an occasion or near occasion of sin to see the truth and turn away from sin. When someone we know is in a situation where they are entering into sin and we know it, we are obligated in love to charitably make them aware of that. That doesn’t mean saying “if you do this you’re going to hell” — because that’s judging. It means telling them that their behaviour is hurting them and others. It means pointing to Christ as a model and being honest about our own failings.

The people it can be hardest to do this for is our enemies. Often those people are the ones hurting us with their sinful behaviour. It can be scary to call out their behaviour and feel fruitless. But if you knew there was even a whisper of a chance that telling them the truth could be the beginning of their conversion away from sinful behaviour, wouldn’t you want that for them? Not because it would benefit you, but rather because it would benefit them. Loving our neighbour and our enemy means doing whatever it takes to help them get to the Kingdom. If we truly believe that the promise of the Gospel is true, shouldn’t we want that kind of loving redemption for everyone? Because if we choose to judge someone as unworthy of conversion and redemption, unworthy of truth, then we’re doing exactly what Christ tells us not to do. Being compassionate literally means putting our heart with theirs, entering into their suffering and sin and hurt, and acting as a beacon of loving truth.

"Being compassionate literally means putting our heart with theirs, entering into their suffering and sin and hurt, and acting as a beacon of loving truth."

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It’s about discerning how to bring them into truth too. My mother is one of the best examples I’ve ever seen of this unconditional love and forgiveness. She experienced dramatic and painful trauma as a child. Despite all of that she kept her eyes on the love of God. Whenever she could, she spoke truth to her abusers and pointed always to the redemptive power of Christ. She offered forgiveness when they weren’t capable of asking for it, and loved them in their weakness. She worked hard to cast out judgement from her heart so that she could find room to turn her forgiveness into a springboard for their conversion. She was a guidepost, using her healing to show others they could be healed.

Let Us Pray:
Dear Lord, thank you for reminding us what being like You truly means. Give us the grace required to live in and as the radical love You call us to embody. We know we are incapable without You, but able to do all things for good in Your name. AMEN

Stephanie Potter

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