This week’s mass readings have been focusing on the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus shocks the world with His wisdom, as He continues to do today. Anger, lust, greed, dishonesty, and ultimately idolatry, are condemned as violating the natural moral law and causing barriers to happiness and union with God.

There’s much to ponder here. I find it interesting that the first two deadly sins mentioned above (harbored anger and lust) and that Jesus speak about are internal sins of the heart that, if not nipped in the bud, will compel the person to express them externally, i.e. in the forms of violence and sexual abuse respectively. Hence, we are warned to not even grow angry with our brother and call him “You fool!” In doing so you risk fiery Gehenna. The third and fourth sins mentioned above (greed and dishonesty) provide the matter and means for the fifth, which is idolatry. “You cannot serve both God and money”, so “Let your yes mean yes and your no mean no. All else is from the evil one.”  Perverting the language and ultimately the truth almost always precedes the using and manipulating of people for money – which to many people is their god.

What might be most shocking in His sermon on the mount is His teaching on retaliation and loving one’s enemies. It’s easy to love friends. “Even the pagans do that.” Like He Himself modeled on the cross, Christ’s followers (the Church) are called not to perpetuate evil, but to absorb it. This is the trick to transforming the world. Continuous retaliation breeds hatred; willingness to suffer injustice for the truth breeds love. The martyrs (red and white) attest to this. Therefore, rather than fighting back or running away (fight or flight), Jesus shows us a third way: turn the other cheek, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. Your reward will be great in heaven. Imagine what the world would be like if everyone lived this way. Imagine if Christians did. Imagine it if only 10 percent of Christians did!  Very different.

Let’s go further beneath the surface. While defense is legitimate and at times obligatory, it must always be the fruit of love. “God wills all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.”  Even, and you might say especially, those with hardened hearts. Evil ultimately will not be defeated by compromising to the extremes of violence or surrender, but by the steadfast strength and perseverance of standing for the truth despite the cost. This is love. This was MLK, Ghandi, the martyrs and the saints. This is Christ. And this can only be endured by the power of grace offered by God to hearts that are open to His love.

Love your enemies with grace, truth, and perseverance, and you can change the world – one soul at a time, beginning with your own.