How can we bless the one who curses?

[thyrodandstaff]

thyrodandstaff

“Sacrificing the body means putting to death the deeds of the flesh… so that our members can become instruments of righteousness…The body is made a sacrifice when the eye looks at nothing evil, the tongue says nothing filthy, and the hand does nothing lawless. More than this, the hand must give alms,** the mouth bless the one who curses**, and the ear must listen to the reading of scripture.”

How do we bless the one who curses? Does anybody have prayers for blessing the one who curses? The one I have found so far is:

Lord Jesus, bless us with peace. Amen. (after they shout I say this to myself, it really helps with frustration and despair in those difficult moments).
Suffer victoriously! Amen!

 

[AlanFromWichita]

What made it easy for me was to realize that those who curse us are doing us a spiritual favor by their very existence. If our spiritual lives are like a bicycle, these are the people who put resistance into it so that our legs me become strong.

Similarly, when people console us it’s wonderful, but when they curse us – that’s when they are handing us the opportunity on a silver platter to behave graciously as an act of faith that will build us up.

Matt 5:43-48
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.

So if we are to be perfect as the Lord tells us to, we must flex our spiritual muscle. And that means unconditional love. Conditional love is when you love someone who you think is nice, or who will love you back. Unconditional love is loving enemies and if we never practice it, our spiritual “muscle” to do so atrophies and we lose the message entirely. Without enemies, any species, including Christians, would die off.

Now this doesn’t mean we have to let the enemy hurt us. Except our feelings; they’re supposed to do that and we’re supposed to be strong and not let them negatively interfere with our faith as they so often do. It seems actually that most of us are driven almost entirely by our feelings when we are insulted. If such things trigger us, then that shows there was still some sin alive in us; we need to become mortified, or die to, these impulses toward wherever they take us: shame, guilt, anger, revenge, any of that nasty stuff.

If we get indignant when people cut us down, then we build up our ego. If we open up and “turn the other (rhetorical) cheek,” then we build up our faith. Note that bearing wrongs patiently is an ACT of mercy, i.e. it’s a work. Without works our faith is not tested, purified, or meaningful. If we don’t have opposition it will remain that way so we can thank God these people are here to help lead us to spiritual maturity and purity of our soul.

Alan

 

[Edmundus1581]

A great answer and explanation, Alan. I can’t add to this.