May 15, 2022 - Pastor Message
04/19/2024“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles...You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:38-41, 43-45).
Unfortunately, this fact has not stopped some of the more radical proabortion groups to call for protests at Catholic churches, even vandalizing them with proabortion slogans. How should we as Catholics respond to these ignorant acts of hate, which are likely to continue and even intensify once the official decision is published this summer? Jesus teaches us the answer in the Sermon on the Mount, which I have quoted above.
His famous call to turn the other cheek and to love and pray for our enemies is not a call to weakness. In
fact, it can be one of the hardest things we ever do, and left to our own devices we could never do it. But he has not left us on our own. Through the power of his Holy Spirit, we are one with Jesus Christ, who himself endured the full force of the enemy on the cross but “submitted and opened not his mouth; like a lamb led to the slaughter or a sheep silent before the shearers” (Isaiah 53:7). He even forgave the very men who crucified him (Luke 23:34). He did all of this because that was his mission, the very reason he was on the cross, to conquer the world, not through the destructive power of fear, violence, and domination, but by the healing power of faith, love, and selfless service. He came among us to drive the poison of hate and division from our souls, and he knew the only way he could do that was with the medicine of love and forgiveness, even and especially with those who hated him the most.
He has given that exact same mission to his disciples. The question for us then becomes: how do we share the patient, healing love of Jesus with those who carry out acts of hate against us? At the very least it means not responding in kind. If a protester disrupts Mass,
please do not respond by loudly confronting that person or even worse attempting to physically remove them, unless that person is acting violently and endangering someone’s safety. Instead, we will momentarily pause our celebration of the Mass. I will contact the police to have them remove the person. All those who do not feel safe will be invited to leave peacefully and in an orderly manner if they so choose, with their Sunday obligation dispensed. Those who choose to remain will join in a prayerful recitation of the rosary for the protester. Once police remove the person, we will resume Mass. Please do not engage in an altercation of any kind with the person, either verbally or physically, except as a last resort in defense of your safety or the safety of others.
The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., the great advocate for nonviolence, famously said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” May we drive out the hate that fills so many people’s hearts today by showing all people, especially those who hate us the most, the light of Christ’s healing love in these dark days by turning the other cheek and praying for our enemies.
Fr. Marc Stockton
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