Monday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
Sometimes the most loving act possible in the circumstances is just to let it go. On the other hand, sometimes the most loving act possible is to fight for justice, to stand up for your rights, or the rights of your neighbor, to advocate, to confront, to debate, and even to use force as Christ did when he overturned the tables of the money changers and drove them all out of the temple with a whip. But such confrontations are not always called for. They are not always the best way to express your love of neighbor. Remember that our duty, as Christians, above all, is to love our neighbor. This may entail confrontation, but it may also entail letting it go.
When Christ teaches us to “offer no resistance to one who is evil” and to turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:39), he is teaching us about these things. Our goal is not to expand our sphere of influence. Our goal is not to amass material possessions. Our goal is not to get a name for ourselves. It’s not even to ensure that we get our fair share. Our goal is to love our neighbor as Christ loved us: to love truly, faithfully, and generously, even to the point of self-sacrifice. When we do this, we redeem humanity, together with Christ. We extend his saving grace into a darkened world. Evil is utterly impotent before the power of Christ’s love. For us to receive Christ’s love, and to give it, we have to be willing to let go of everything else, whenever and however God asks us to.