"Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:48)

Monday, June 18, 2012

Justifying Turning the Other Cheek

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 5 at morning Mass, we heard the Lord's hard teaching on turning the other cheek. Can we really accept that? We can if we see it from God's point of view. First of all, God loves everyone. And he has shown his greatest love by dying for us sinners. Secondly, judging is God's role, not our business. Turning the other cheek is not to strike back, to retaliate or revenge. It offers the only hope to peace. The world still follows An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth ~ look what kind of condition it's in now. If we trust in God and leave everything up to him, turning the other cheek becomes our only logical choice. Another way of looking at it ~ if everyone practices it, we'll have a peaceful world. (Admittedly, practicing this teaching before the world is perfect is risking sacrifice on our part, but we must see that it's the right thing to do, for God cannot tell us otherwise.)   

No comments:

Post a Comment