"Bless your persecutors; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Have the same attitude toward all. Put away ambitious thoughts and associate with those who are lowly." (Romans 12: 14-16)To today we can have no better reading for our morning reflection - 'Bless your persecutors; bless and do not curse them." Is this not the message Pope Francis asks us to have for today as we pray and fast for peace in Syria and the Middle East? Indeed, this has been the message of the Church since the Second Vatican Council, a message we had long forgotten in our Church's history.
The teaching of Jesus is clear and unambiguous - love your enemies, turn the other cheek, forgive seventy times seven times, endure the cross for the love of others. This message was upheld in the early days of the Church, as the Church Fathers rejected all forms of violence - abortion, capital punishment, gladiator fighting, and even military service - in being faithful to the non-violent teachings of Jesus and Paul. Hippolytus of Rome even forbade soldiers from the catechumenate unless they renounced military service and violence. Cyril of Jerusalem stated that we are soldiers in an army of peace and our weapons are not sword, shield, and helmet but rather prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.
Sadly, when the Church achieved official status of the official religion of the Empire, the message got changed. Violence now became tolerated and even encouraged: the death penalty for pagans, heretics, and the infidel; wars against the Muslims, Eastern Christians, and heretics; the torture of the Inquisition; and the horrors of the religious wars of the post-Reformation era that in many places claimed 40% of entire populations to this carnage.
How can we proclaim the sanctity of human life when we make so many exceptions to the rule of peace and non-violence? How can we expect the world to follow Jesus when we who claim to be his followers refuse to do so in this most fundamental area of life?
Today, however, we have the opportunity to begin again - to rediscover the commitment to the Lord Jesus in the path of peace and non-violence. Our Church today has reaffirmed the commitment and she calls us once again to proclaim and live peace in every area of our lives.
The illogic of violence has led humanity to the brink of annihilation by means of modern weapons of horrific destruction and to the idolatry of guns in our own American culture.
"Bless your persecutors; bless and do not curse them." Let us once again follow the Lord Jesus, who rebukes us for use of the sword, and commands us to love as He loved. It is the only way to arrive at the reign of God.
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