A patient seeing a psychiatrist for the first time was surprised to see a Bible on the doctor’s desk. “Don’t tell me that you read the Bible,” he said. The doctor replied, “I not only read the Bible; I meditate on it. It’s the greatest textbook on human behavior ever written. If people followed it’s teaching, a lot of psychiatrists could close their offices and go fishing.”
Have you ever thought of the Bible as a textbook on human behavior, providing us with a guide to psychiatric health? For starters, today’s readings provide us with pearls of wisdom we ought to consider seriously for our emotional wellbeing.
Our scripture opened with the line, “Be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy. You shall not bear hatred for your brother or sister in your heart.” Imagine how different our world would be if God’s advice had been followed ever since Moses first shared this revelation. The call to be holy as God is holy forms the normative ethical behavior for the Judeo-Christian community, providing the basis for Jesus’ commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Being holy may seem like an impossible task yet Paul reminds us, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” For good reason, Jesus challenges us to “be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” That idea may seem far-fetched or overwhelming for being perfect is supposedly a goal that is out of reach for anyone. Hardly a day goes by when we don’t blunder in some way. On the other hand, striving to be perfect is a goal all of us can aim for. In this instance, always making the effort to be holy instead of angry and hateful is the challenge Jesus is presenting here.
Today’s readings illustrate that one trait of holiness, demonstrated often by Christ, boils down to not allowing anger to take over one’s heart. Jesus doesn’t tell us not to get angry since anger is an emotion that we cannot scrap. He is telling us, however, not to let anger take over our hearts. Holiness doesn’t allow something that is upsetting you to seep into your heart and thus undermine your love for God and the person who is upsetting you.
Leviticus cautions us not to take revenge or bear grudges. Doing so is a sign that you have let something taint your love toward the person responsible. If you need to tell someone that they have acted wrongly, do so in a spirit of fraternal correction. Instead of getting even, help that person to see the wrong of something they’ve done for their own good.
Sometimes, people will confess to me that they have been angry. I then point out that anger itself is not a sin; but what we do when we are angry can be sinful. The Catechism defines anger as “an emotion which is not in itself wrong, but which, when it is not controlled by reason or hardens into resentment and hate, becomes one of the seven capital sins.” By the way, a capital sin is a mortal sin that results in spiritual death.
In a world that focuses on vendettas, avenging wrongs, and getting even, Jesus reminds us that the trademark of being a Christian is turning the other cheek. Granted, many see such meekness as weakness, but it takes much effort not to strike back or not dislike the person who has done you wrong. Or to give your time and possessions to someone else whom you think doesn’t deserve either. Or to go out of your way beyond what any reasonable person would expect.
Why does Jesus set such standards? When people hate their enemies and resent them, they end up hurting themselves far more than they hurt their enemies. When we hate someone, we give that person power over us: power over our sleep, power over our blood pressure, power over our health and happiness. Our enemies would be thrilled if they knew that our hatred was tearing us apart. Hatred turns our lives into a hellish turmoil. Mary Angelou once observed that hate has caused a lot of problems in this world but it has not solved one yet.
How can a Christian hate if God is love? Christians who hate are sacrificing their relationship with God for a cause that has no winners. If we allow hateful thoughts to overtake us, we cannot be people of peace. Conversely, when we respond with love, we release love where love is needed most. We stop the chain reaction of evil and put in its place a chain reaction of love.
Lest you think Jesus is setting the standard too high to be one of his followers, think of how many blows he received. None of us have been mistreated as badly as he was. Being God, he didn’t have to sacrifice himself on the cross. When Adam and Eve sinned, God could have left us alone to deal with the mess that happens whenever we sin. Instead, the Lord endeavors to demonstrate how we can better live our lives and impact the lives of others.
We might sum up the teaching of today’s readings with these words from St. Paul: “Do not let evil defeat you; instead conquer evil with good.” Responding with kindness toward those who wrong us benefits both parties far more a response of hate. No wonder Jesus tells us to adopt this new way of thinking and reacting, in a manner that is out of this world, yet one that creates a win-win outcome for everyone involved.