The encounter between David and Saul speaks of enmity and justice. That brings to mind the story of Corrie ten Boom. During WWII, Corrie and her family lived in the Netherlands, which was occupied by Nazi Germany. Like other Christians, her family risked providing a hiding place for Jews from the Nazis. They finally were caught and sent to a concentration camp. On New Year’s Day, 1945, Corrie was released after spending ten months at Ravensbruck, an extermination camp for women where her sister, Betsie, had died.
After regaining her health, Corrie set out to bring a message of love and reconciliation to war-torn Europe. Once, when she had finished speaking at a church in Munich, a man approached her. Corrie recognized the heavy set, balding man; he was one of the cruelest guards at Ravensbruck. Many haunting memories surfaced. She remembered the harsh lights and the forced undressing. She recalled the shame of walking naked past this guard and now he was standing there offering to shake her hand.
The former guard, not recognizing Corrie, explained what had happened since his days as a guard. He had become a Christian, and he knew that God had forgiven him for the cruel things he had done. But that wasn’t enough. Could Corrie, on behalf of once imprisoned women, forgive him?
At that moment, the words of Luke’s gospel came to mind. “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.” Corrie stood there for what seemed like forever. Finally with tears in her eyes, she cried, “I forgive you brother, with all my heart.”
The message for us from today’s readings is so clear and yet so difficult. We are told to be compassionate, even to our worst enemies and anyone who hates us. Corrie could do what seems impossible to us, because she believed in Christ’s words, “Love your enemies and do good to those who hate you. Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”
This is no ordinary love that Jesus is talking about here; certainly not the sentimental love that we celebrated on Valentine’s Day. Rather, this is a radical kind of love, demonstrated for us by Jesus himself on the cross.
Years ago, in the magazine, US Catholic, the question of forgiveness was debated. The article noted that forgiveness is not easy. We are always practicing forgiveness and we always need to be forgiven. “Forgiveness,” it noted, “takes time. Forgiveness of self, others and God is a way of life that enables us to move on.” This is what Corrie discovered and this is what we need to discover for ourselves as well.
Many of those who responded to the survey agreed that “it’s a sin to withhold forgiveness,” yet they also admitted that forgiving someone can be very difficult. It is not easy to forgive but we certainly want to be forgiven, don’t we?
Sometimes in my role as a confessor, I need to make the point that forgiving and forgetting do not mean the same thing. The act may be too horrendous to forget but that does not dispense us from the wise counsel Jesus gives us.
Ultimately, we come out ahead when we forgive. It is for our sake that Jesus urges us to forgive those who have wronged us. Consider the consequences when we refuse to forgive. Who is hurt by all the bitterness? Does your refusal to forgive stop bad things from happening? Does your refusal to forgive protect you physically or emotionally? Does it pay back the person who hurt you? Does refusing to forgive help you to get even with the person who hurt you? Not likely.
When we refuse to forgive, we continue to hurt ourselves. From that darkness of bitterness and hurt, Jesus is trying to save us with advice that makes little sense yet does work. Forgiving others brings about the peace we yearn for. Without forgiveness, a broken relationship has little chance of being restored.
We might be tempted to deny that we have any enemies but let’s not kid ourselves. In a world filled with sin, enemies are not hard to come by. When people make us angry, we make them our enemies. We also make enemies of those who insult us, cheat us, or even differ in opinion from us. In addition, we can be our own worst enemy by not loving ourselves. When things aren’t going well for us, we can easily make God an enemy as well.
Even if we deny having personal enemies, there could be some unnamed class of persons, such as those on welfare, immigrants, or members of an ethnic or religious minority. In short, an enemy is someone we refuse to love.
The love that Jesus often speaks of isn’t about feelings, nor is the love he speaks of about liking someone. For us to fully savor the experience of God’s love and forgiveness, we must do the same. And if that doesn’t come easy, then at least pray for the person who hurt you. Begin by asking God to bless that person just as you would ask God to bless those whom you love. In due time, your own heart may be healed of its bitterness, fear or prejudice.
Many of us make resolutions to follow during Lent, which is just days away. There are many good resolutions to draw from in today’s gospel. As Luke points out, “The measure you measure with will be measured back to you.”