Monday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary
Time
Few Christian communities have taken Jesus’
message in the gospel today more literally than the Quakers, the Society of
Friends. For generations Quakers were
given deferments from conscription into the U.S. Army because of their official
position against the use of force. In
today’s gospel Jesus lays the groundwork for the Quakers’ policy.
Jesus’ command to offer no resistance to
evil is a super-tall order. Many insist
with good reason that he is using hyperbolic language. This means that Jesus exaggerates the
obligation in order to move his followers from the natural disposition of
taking revenge. In other words, disciples
do not have to submit completely to aggressors but, nevertheless, should be
forbearing in their response.
Forbearance is not a popular virtue today. People either try to get even when they are
offended, or they sulk in bitterness. Forbearance
inclines us to tolerate others’ faults and to forgive their offenses. In these ways we mirror the Father’s patience
with the sins of the world, which include our own.
