“But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.
matthew 5:39
When someone strikes you on your right cheek,
turn the other one to him as well.”
Reflection
Jesus tells his disciples that although they have heard ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,’ they are to offer the other cheek if someone strikes them. If someone presses them into service for only one mile, they should go for two.
Jesus’ sayings here are contrary to what the disciples knew. Instead of exacting revenge on another person because of a wrong committed against them, the disciples are supposed to turn the other cheek. This is a very difficult teaching of Jesus’ to follow. We rarely want to continue being insulted or hurt by someone. Our natural reaction is to retaliate in like manner, perhaps hurting the person more than they originally hurt us.
Jesus’ command is one of humility. To grow in this virtue, it is necessary to stand down at times and let yourself be insulted, hurt, and ridiculed. Fighting back only prolongs the evil, and we do not need to participate in that. We can take the perfect example from our Lord himself. He was falsely accused, hated, beaten, and ultimately killed – but never did he throw insults back or offer resistance to the evil being done.
Reflect on how Jesus reveals true humility, and ultimately holiness, through his Passion. Ask for the grace to be like him when difficult situations arise and to always walk humbly through life.
Saint of the Day
St. John Francis Regis: 1597 – 1640
“The most abandoned souls are those most loved by the Heart of Jesus.”
St. John Francis Regis
The Healing Word 