Jesus is again replacing the Law with conscience in this Sunday’s Gospel, “You have heard the law, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.” Resistance is the current mood in the U.S. How can it be that Jesus says offer no resistance to one who is evil? In part, the phrase is a poor translation. It is more accurately translated, “But I say to you: do not react violently against the one who is violent.” Jesus is rejecting violence as a moral or even effective response to violent people.
Violent people sometimes start by obstructing goodness. They block or get in the way of forward progress. For example, blocking forward progress on human rights or universal health care or a cleaner environment. Indeed the forward progress is rolled back. Resistance can become the people’s practice. Resistance is defined as preventing a harmful effect. Resistance can coalesce considerable energy from the people being injured. Proponents of resistance have long championed its collective energy. Proponents include Frederick Douglass and Saul Alinsky to more current resistors such as Resist Trump Tuesday’s, Anonymous, and Boycott Trump. Resisters refuse to be pushed back. It is also necessary however, to ask, are the resisters also creating a forward motion, forward progress? Nonviolent forward progress is asserted by groups such as Swing Left, Knock Every Door, Run For Something, Brand New Congress. These groups and others are encouraging voting and a parallel Democratic party allegiance in which changing policies is a goal. Changing policies is an important element in diminishing injury and promoting progress. However, the violent U.S. Empire with its military, CIA, National Security apparatus, and its corporate control over such things as foreign relations, drugs, food, and health care will continue. It will simply have different managers. Other persons and groups are creating forward progress moving beyond U.S. Empire and old party lines. They are doing so because they live with the vision of our common humanity. These include Koinonia Farm, Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, Alliance for Sustainable Communities, Chicago’s Cure Violence, and others. They are resisting evil which includes not directing any hatred or animosity towards those doing us injury. More so, they are also creating revolutionary communities because they are committed to loving their neighbor and to loving their enemy.
“You have heard the old law, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, … 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 and sisters only, what is unusual about that? Do not the publicans do the same? So be loving.”
Prayer: Spirit of Love, may I give witness to your creative power in the midst of pain.
Question: How and when do I obstruct, resist, or lovingly revolutionize?
February 19, 2017 Gospel Matthew 5:38-48 Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time