Monday of the
Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
(I Kings 21:1-16; Matthew 5:38-42)
Few gospel passages have provoked more soul searching reflection
than that of today and tomorrow.
Seemingly Jesus is calling his disciples not to defend their families,
much less themselves, if attacked. Is
that even humane? Or is Jesus
exaggerating as when he says one must hate one’s parents to be his disciple (Luke
14:26)?
Thomas Aquinas justifies killing in self-defense if one
does not intend to kill the aggressor.
The case is not one of doing evil to achieve the good because the
defender acts in place of the civil authority.
For Aquinas only the state acting as God’s minister in pursuit of the
common good can take a life.
Then is Aquinas faithful to the gospel? One would be reckless to accuse Thomas
Aquinas of biblical infidelity. He sees
Jesus correctly as talking of personal righteousness. Jesus does not intend that his statement be
generalized to cover every case of evil.
He does insist, however, as tomorrow’s passage will show that we love
our enemies. This means that we do not want
them harm. But if they present
themselves as unjust aggressors unstoppable short of killing, then let it be
done. Aquinas will make one exception to
this rule. An ordained man cannot kill
under any circumstances.
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