“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:44-45).
Saint Therese of Lisieux wrote in her autobiography, “Story of a Soul”, about her experience in dealing with a nun who she found particularly irritating… The woman’s voice annoyed her, the woman’s mannerisms annoyed her, the woman’s attitude annoyed her…
Saint Therese’s path to sanctity was “little” – she called it her “little way” – and it consisted in doing little things as acts of reparation to God. And this “little way” of sanctification meant that Saint Therese of Lisieux decided not only to offer up her irritation with this woman in reparation of sinners for God, but it also meant that she also decided to make a deliberate effort to place herself into this other woman’s company as often as was possible and to always present a pleasant face and mannerism for this woman.
Through Grace, Saint Therese was so successful at offering up her irritation to God that the nun who caused her so much annoyance came to believe that Saint Therese favoured her above all the other nuns in the convent…
And I have been reflecting on that “friend” of the Saint. You see, it would be easy enough to assume that people who cause me irritation are an enemy and not a friend. And yet, Saint Vincent de Paul explained this reasoning so simply when he warned, “Let us beware of complaints, resentments, and evil-speaking against those who are ill-disposed to us, discontented with us, or hostile to our plans and arrangements, or who even persecute us with injuries, insults, and calumnies. Rather let us go on treating them as cordially as at first, or more so, as far as possible showing them esteem, always speaking well of them, doing them good, serving them on occasion, even to the point of taking shame and disgrace upon ourselves, if necessary to save their honour.”
It seems in this matter too – as in most of the Truth – the world is topsy turvy… The person who appears at first to be my enemy – the one who causes me the most inconvenience and distress – that is the person to whom I should show most love…
For Saint Vincent de Paul said, “All this ought to be done, first, to overcome evil with good, according to the teaching of the Apostles; and secondly, because they are our allies rather than our adversaries, as they aid us to destroy self-love, which is our greatest foe; and since it is they who give us an opportunity to gain merit, they ought to be considered our dearest friends.”
And in reading those words the other day, I guess I stumbled upon a greater understanding of a very important truth…
For Christ said, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:44-45).
And, upon reflection of the example of the Saints, I can understand why Christ told us to love our enemies and be good to those who persecute me. For not only is this the way to overcome evil with good, but it is simply because those enemies of mine are truly my dearest friends…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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