Love Your Enemies

Most of those men and women whom we honor during independence weekend died at the battle field and at the hands of an enemy. It is difficult to remember them without also considering the cause of their death. War did not kill them only, but some armed enemy who had been driven to hate them. How can we resist hating the enemy in return? Because Jesus told us, “Love your enemies”.
Impossible? During the early months of the Spanish civil war of the 1930’s Republican Loyalists murdered almost seven thousand Roman Catholic religious, and burned many churches and monasteries to the ground. One of the martyrs was the parish priest of Torrijos, Don Liberio Gonzalez Nonvela. According to the historian Hugh Thomas, Father Liberio told the militiamen who took him prisoner, “I want to suffer for Christ.”
“Oh, do you?” they answered, “then you shall die as Christ did.” They stripped him and scourged him mercilessly. Next, they fastened a beam of wood on his back, gave him vinegar to drink, and crowned him with thorns. “Blaspheme and we will forgive you,” “said the leader of the militia.” It is I who forgive and bless you,” the priest replied. The Militiamen discussed how they should kill Father Liberio. Some wished to nail him to the cross, but in the end they simply shot him. Father Liberio’s final request was to be shot facing his tormentors, so that he might die blessing them.
Few of us could follow Jesus commandment to the lengths that Father Liberio did. But perhaps in the quiet of church or home, we can ask God to help us forgive our enemies, employing a prayer of the Eastern Orthodox Church:
Thou who didst pray for them that crucified thee, O Lord, Lover of the souls of men (and women) and who didn’t command they servants to pray for their enemies, forgive those who hate and maltreat us, and turn our lives from harm and evil to love and good works: for this we humbly bring our prayer, that with one accord and one heart we may glorify thee who alone lovest humankind. AMEN.

Written by Rev. J. A. Scholtz