At first glance we Americans know little of persecution. Our
children are not kidnapped in the middle of the night to serve
in a rebel army as they are in Uganda. We do not fear for our
lives when we go to the market as they do in Baghdad. We do not
lose our job because we are Christian as they do in India. And
yet we all know persecution? How? Because we know people. We
all know someone who is our foil, our nemesis, our foe. They
don’t like us. They go out of their way to challenge or attack
us. Their mere presence unsettles us. And so we respond to
them Sometimes we match their anger with our own; their yells
with our screams. Sometimes we ignore them and lie low, hoping
they will leave us alone. Sometimes we just fume in private and
ponder opportunities for revenge.
But Jesus tells us these things just aren’t acceptable. He was
not one for retribution and so he offers these words; love your
enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Of all the things
Jesus asks us to do I think this is the most difficult. It is
very difficult to put aside our concerns and angers and hurts
and to pray for those who persecute us. But Jesus teaches that
prayer is the proper posture. And the nature of the prayer is
important. Jesus is not telling us to pray that they will agree
with us or be nicer to us, but instead our prayer should be one
of selfless hope, that those who persecute us might find true
joy and peace. That is a radical difference! So on this day I
invite you to pause, think of those who torment and trouble you
and say a loving prayer for them.
