How Can We Hope for What We do Not Give?

So this week, Jesus asks us to love our enemies.

Who are our enemies?   Those cheaters?  That country?  My government?  The Anti-whatever I’m for?  The party I don’t for?  The people who think the party I vote for is evil incarnate?  The Pope? The people who hate the Pope?  Those who abuse?  Those who get away with abuse?  Those who defend or hide abuse?  Those who use the system?  Those who make my life harder?  Those who say cruel words? Those who drive aggressively when I’m driving?  Those who take too long?  Those who are always late? Those who are unsympathetic with those who are always late?  People who push their way of thinking?  People who brag about what they’ve done?  People who put down what we’ve done?  At some point, something is going to prickle and itch.  Something is going to provoke.  Whosoever that is, is the one for whom one should pray.

Who is our enemy?  For whom must we pray?  We must find the ones that hurt us in our prayer life, in our real life, i our whole life, and for these, we must pray.

The one with whom one is not patient, not kind, the one envied or for whom one puts on airs, is the one you hate.  The one we wish dishonor on, and wish to dishonor, whom we wish to present ourselves as better than, who easily angers us, and whose wrongs we keep careful record of and review regularly. Hate delights in suffering, in grief, in falseness.   Hate attacks, denies, disbelieves, despairs and quits.   It attacks and leaves the wounded. Hate always flails and will ultimately fail, but will dry up and wither the soul that indulges it.

What is asked, is not easy, is not possible without grace, but without seeking to do just this, our lives will be graceless.   We will ping from one wound to another, and never heal.  We will nurse regret, despair and anger.   We will not be able to partake of the peace of Christ, because our hearts will be predisposed against peace, distrusting it as an act.   So hey, all of us…find the things, the people, the movements, the parties, the countries, the everything that makes you want to rant, rage, snarl and/or pull away, and know that this is your list.  These are the ones you’ve been tasked with praying for, that they might see the Glory of God.

And the sinful proud boasting envious petty part of the soul says, “Yeah…Jesus, about that…do you really mean it?”

He looks at us from the cross and says, “What do you think?”
The world is brimming with rage and aches and deep pains, wounds that seem unforgivable.
Time to get on our knees folks.