‘‘Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.’ (Luke 6:27-28)’ (undefined)

The bluntness of Jesus’ teaching is nowhere more evident than in today’s Gospel when he outlines what it means to be a disciple of the Beatitudes. (Luke 6:20-26). Humanly, it is outrageous to shower love on our enemies, return hate with kindness, speak lovingly of those who defame us and seek God’s grace for those who abuse and hurt us. This is a tall order, if not impossible.

Our reading from Colossians (3:12-15) gives us a clue as to how we can cultivate such impossible love. ‘Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience…forgive each other.‘ It is in taking small steps in growing virtue that we develop the capacity to love generously and graciously. St. Therese of Lisieux encourages us: ‘Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love.’

There is a power in loving your enemies with kindness. Ian Wilkinson offered forgiveness to Patterson, noting that her actions had been met with his own kindness. ‘Now I am no longer Erin Patterson’s victim, and she has become the victim of my kindness.’  Kindness breaks the bonds of hate and creates an opportunity for healing and grace to transform the darkness of sin.

Today, let us embrace the impossible call of Jesus to love our enemies by choosing a small act of kindness for a person with whom we struggle. It could be offering a prayer for their wellbeing, helping them with a need, sending them a note of encouragement or forgiving them for their past behaviour. May we clothe ourselves with kindness as we go about our day.