Are They Really My Enemy?

When we look at today's Mass readings, Jesus tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute and curse us. When we hear that, it's easy to let our thoughts go far away. It's easy to immediately think of groups like ISIS, al-Qaeda, or North Korea. It's easy to look at media outlets that often criticize our churches and our faith. It's easy to look at outspoken atheists or fundamentalists who attack our Church. It's easy to look far away. The Middle East, the television, the Internet, the newspaper, they all provide a barrier, a screen, a protection from truly facing and confronting that anger and pain. We get farsighted, and often don't look at the animosity toward others right in front of us in our own hearts.

When I graduated with my first bachelor's degree, in marketing, I was hired by a local State Farm agent. My job was to manage the front desk and internet marketing for the agency. The agent was a 35-year veteran of State Farm, and so our clientele were mainly senior citizens. Many of them could have been my parents or grandparents, and they treated me as such. Many of them told me that I was too young to know anything, and they didn't want "some damned kid" even taking their payments. I found out many of them had had bad experiences with young people. Some had had children and grandchildren succumb to drugs and alcoholism. Some were upset because their grandchildren never visited them anymore or were on their phones when they did. 

Age is just one thing that can divide us. Income, sexual orientation, race, religion, these are all differences that we face. These are all differences that can make us enemies if we let them. Think about people who have wronged you directly. Maybe someone harasses you at work. Maybe the same old man yells at you in church when your kids cry. Maybe the same teenager drives through your neighborhood with his speakers blasting at 10:00 at night. Do you ever pray for them? Do you ever try to understand them and reach out to them? Are they really your enemy? Would simply praying start to change your perspective?

There's not much we can do about ISIS, al-Qaeda, or North Korea. We can't stop the media from attacking our Church. We aren't likely to change the hearts of atheists or televangelists who are making millions attacking our faith. What we can change is our own hearts. We can change our interactions that we have with others each day. When we do that, then we can change the world.