theROCK

Love Your Enemies

I recently found myself sitting in Eucharistic Adoration thinking about how weird this practice must look to someone who isn’t Catholic. A bunch of people sitting around a bedazzled piece of bread on a pedestal thinking it was God. How weird! But I believe it. I know it! First and foremost because Jesus told me He was in there. He says it at the Last Supper. It’s recorded in all four Gospels; one of the only things they all agree on. I believe in His presence in the Eucharist and I adore His presence in the Eucharist because I know Him and I trust Him and if He said it, it must be true.

So why don’t I take that approach with everything else He said?

“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”

When I read this line (and this whole Gospel), I can immediately think of people who fall into these categories; people who make my blood boil, my eyes roll, and my fist shake. Loving my enemies is so easy to do in the abstract. Okay Jesus, sure thing! But then when that driver has the audacity to drive the speed limit in the left-most lane of the highway, suddenly it’s more challenging to love that enemy. Or when the news is on and the pundits’ anger starts making my anger rise at people I don’t even know.

I think our culture thrives on creating enemies. Hatred and anger are very “in” right now. A common enemy is the number one way to unite a group of people, according to my AP World History teacher. And we are so very good at finding enemies—people to blame for the problems we have.

But Jesus didn’t leave wiggle room. Just like our stance on the Eucharist is black and white—it’s not a symbol, He really is there—so too our stance on our enemies, on those who hate us and persecute us, is crystal clear—love them. Bless them. Do kind things for them. Pray for them. Give them even more than what they take and ask for nothing in return. THIS is what makes us different from the rest of the world. THIS is what separates Christians.

Remember the saying “They’ll know we are Christians by our love?” Well I see a lot more hate than love in our world these days; sometimes even our global Church. Which makes me wonder, would others define how I live my faith more by who I hate, or more by how I love?

More Than a Feeling

As a Catholic revert, it often breaks my heart to watch people take the Eucharist so lightly. About 4 years ago, when I still considered myself a non-denominational Christian, I attended an adoration night with my new Catholic friend. I had grown up Catholic, and I was even part of Life Teen in high school, so I was familiar with adoration. I never felt like I actually felt or experienced Jesus though, so, I concluded it couldn’t be true. At this point, I thought whatever denomination you were didn’t really matter, as long as you love Jesus and show that to others.

So, at this adoration night 4 years ago, I remember when the priest brought Jesus around. I thought to myself, “I’ll give this one more chance.” The priest brought the small host in the monstrance over. I looked at Jesus and he looked at me. I still didn’t feel or experience anything spectacular.

In the coming months, I dove head first into Catholic theology, Church history, and studied the Scriptures deeper than I ever had before. I couldn’t figure out what Jesus meant by, “this is my body, this is my blood.” Was he really serious? As I learned things I had never known before, I couldn’t deny the true Presence of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. It was real. He was really, truly, present. For so many years, I had been wrong. All because I couldn’t “experience” Him there.

So often in my life, I have let my feelings guide my faith. I have learned that faith is far more than a feeling, although sometimes I do experience feelings. Faith also takes understanding, learning, and knowledge. Jesus does not ask us to blindly follow him. I realized encountering Jesus is a gift, not something to be strived after. I had a heart posture of, “Prove that you’re real,” instead of “Jesus, show me who you are and how much you love me.” Now I have a confidence and assurance that my Savior is present, whether or not I can feel him there.