One of the popular culture phrases that amuses me is “I live rent free in their mind”. In this Gospel reading, Luke 6: 27-38, we are invited to let that be for the positive because you’ve done something special or hold a particular place in a person’s heart. However, it is most commonly used negatively in regard to the amount of time is taken up thinking about someone whom you may ‘hate’.
It might seem like a strange starting point to talk about hate but hate is the opposite of love. Hate generates a negative energy in our hearts and the world. To love – through forgiveness, doing good, lending and praying for others, creates an energy that builds the Kingdom of God that Jesus so wanted for us.
The call to “love your enemies; do good to those who hate you” is core to Jesus’ teaching expressed in such a positive way. Love is such an intimate word, and Jesus uses it clearly – it’s not a request to like your enemies, but to love them.
The second part of this reading on judging others reminds me a little of the beginning of one of my favourite books – The Great Gatsby. Nick, the main character, shares some advice his Father gave him.
“Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone,” he told me,
“just remember that all the people in this world haven’t
had the advantages that you’ve had.”
It’s easy to pass judgement, to condemn and to withhold forgiveness. It’s harder to walk in someone else’s shoes and try to understand them. Everyone has a story. For some people that story is one of relative privilege; access to education, to a loving home, to a community of people who want them to flourish, to healthcare and so on. For others, they may not have had these precious gifts, and we do not know their stories. Jesus invites us to take the time to understand and forgive, to withhold judgement and condemnation when your relationship with someone else is struggling. This is a great act of love.
We have a choice in the way we treat people, we have a choice to be the bigger person. This requires us to not be afraid or suspicious of others, to be less needy and anxious, to live with an attitude that creates a safe space for others and not count the score. Instead, we are invited to give the beautiful gifts of love, blessings, compassion, generosity and prayer.
Our God is a God of mercy, of deep love, and in this reading, we are called to extend love and mercy to others.
– Laura Avery
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