I would like you to do something for me now. Take a moment and think about someone that hurt you really badly, someone that you don’t like, someone that you avoid. That may be a person that you know or knew personally or a political figure or a leader that that did or does terrible things. Close your eyes and try to see his or her face, what do you feel? Are you angry, disgusted, disappointed, afraid, frustrated, or perhaps you don’t even want to think about that person. For many of us it is hard to forgive a person like that. We may have tried to forgive numerable times, or we don’t even want to forgive. Now let’s go further: are you able to pray for that person? I know that feeling too, it is very hard to pray for our enemies. But how about loving them? What, loving them? No way! Jesus tells us today: “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?” and: “be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
