How does one 'Love thy enemy'?

[KevinDiaz]

It helps me to look at the Lord when I find it hard to forgive someone. When I commit myself to forgiveness, God accepts that…even if I do not have the feeling of forgiveness. It is the commitment to do His will that counts.
It also helps to say a prayer for the enlightenment of the person we find it hard to forgive.

This point is a question I had in my mind and was another missing element for my understanding.

Wow! I never thought I would get this topic answered so quickly and thoroughly. Thank you all so much for helping me understand!

Please feel free to add more! This is greatly appreciated. God bless you all!

 

[tonyrey]

The first step towards love for our enemies is pity and compassion because they are not motivated by love. Their lack of love for us is a sign of weakness. In fact all evil is a form of insanity because it harms the evil-doer more than anyone else. When Jesus prayed for His executioners He showed us - and the world - it is possible to overcome our attachment to ourselves. Now we have no excuse for not loving our enemies. We have no alternative if we want to follow in His footsteps - and when we succeed we experience a glorious sense of peace and freedom that is a foretaste of heaven…

 

[nuntym]

+JMJ+

Do you love yourself, in spite of your failings, in spite of your sins, in spite of the many things you do not like about yourself? In spite of the fact that you are, most often, your worst enemy?

It is written (Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 22:39): “Thou shalt love thy neighbor (Leviticus 19:18: ‘friend’) as thyself.” Whence it seems to follow that man’s love for himself is the model of his love for another.

But the model exceeds the copy. Therefore, out of charity, a man ought to love himself more than his neighbor.

St. Thomas Aquinas, , II-II, Question 26, Article 4Summa Theologica

 

[ThinkingSapien]

Thanks for your story and well done! The ‘enemy’ for me is my exwife. She keeps my son away from me every opportunity she gets and does not honor the shared custody rules.

I’ve got a friend that has a similar problem with her ex-husband. Since their divorce he has been on a campaign to do things harmful to her children and her relationships with employers and friends as a way to get revenge. It’s a difficult scenario.

It’s been going on for 4+ years and only now am I complaining to the courts because I kept forgiving her and she kept walking all over me.

I’m not Catholic, but unless the word “forgiveness” implies something different in Catholicism than how I’ve seen it used I don’t think that forgiveness is contrary to putting up protections against further infractions. I’m not quick to suggest a court as a solution to a problem (as it can get to be very expensive for minimal to no payoff) but if you need a third party to intervene on what’s going on that is one of the reasons that courts exists. Just make sure that you’ve got a long enough record to show that there’s a trend of your visitation/custody being denied or interfered with.

 

[Dorothy]

I’ve got a friend that has a similar problem with her ex-husband. Since their divorce he has been on a campaign to do things harmful to her children and her relationships with employers and friends as a way to get revenge. It’s a difficult scenario.

I’m not Catholic, but unless the word “forgiveness” implies something different in Catholicism than how I’ve seen it used I don’t think that forgiveness is contrary to putting up protections against further infractions. I’m not quick to suggest a court as a solution to a problem (as it can get to be very expensive for minimal to no payoff) but if you need a third party to intervene on what’s going on that is one of the reasons that courts exists. Just make sure that you’ve got a long enough record to show that there’s a trend of your visitation/custody being denied or interfered with.

I don’t have the Bible in front of me right now, but in response to what you said “I don’t think forgiveness is contrary to putting up protections against further infractions”…somewere in the New Testament if says we (Christians) must be as wise as serpents, and gentle as doves. You are correct.

We need to do gently what, at times, needs to be done for our protection.