Monday – 11th Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel – Matthew 5:38-42

Hit Me, Baby, One More Time

Walking the Via Dolorosa, Jerusalem

If we look back on our childhood, most of us will remember all the times we got into a fight, sometimes just verbal, sometimes out and out physical.  Sometimes we won, sometimes we lost.  Sometimes we came away bloodied and defeated; sometimes we gave as good as we got.  Through it all, we probably forgot why we were fighting in the first place, only the fight itself. But we do remember that, at the start, we had a choice.  We could either fight or run.  That was it; or so we thought!

In today’s Gospel, we realize there really is a third option!  We hear the familiar words of Jesus to “turn the other cheek.”  I always pictured this scene as the height of cowardice, to just stand there and take it, to do nothing.  I saw this as utter passivity, cowardice.  But it’s not!  It is an act of defiance.  I could just run away, essentially try and avoid the situation.  Or I could give back to the aggressor exactly what they are giving me – violence!  What Jesus says is to stand there, look them in the eyes and give them the chance to really think about what they are doing, without resorting to violence.  Peaceful, non-violent protest!  Gandhi learned that lesson.  Martin Luther King learned that lesson.  Rosa Parks learned that lesson.

This is not about being passive; this is about standing strong in the face of violence and hatred. It’s about giving the other person a chance to think about what they’re doing, to consider the consequences of their actions.  It’s about standing up against aggression, hatred, bigotry and racism and saying I am not going to fight according to your rules, and I am not going to run away from the problem.

Stand up for what you believe in!  Be courageous!  Be forgiving!  Be strong!  Be Christ-like!

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