“Turn the other cheek.”
We’ve heard this teaching so much that we might forget how radical it is. Christopher Smith, SJ, reflects on how we might put it into practice. Based on the readings for Sunday, February 20, 2022.
Dorothy Day once said, “I only really love God as much as the person that I love the least…” If this is true then many of us are in deep trouble.
Hello, I’m Christopher Smith, and this is my One-Minute Reflection.
Jesus’ words in the gospel today are so often repeated that they have become cliches. ‘Turn the other cheek’ This phrase sounds so nice-. But, our overfamiliarity with it masks the radical message of Jesus and the extremely difficult task that he calls us to today.
The Lord invites us to let go, right now, this very moment. Of the grudge I hold against another Jesuit who hurt my feelings, of the anger I feel towards the person driving slowly in the left lane, to extend the benefit of the doubt to a person who made a poor first impression. Jesus calls you, and me, to freedom–to let go of our self-imposed chains of indignation and self-constructed dungeon of rancor and to forgive. Lest we forget: the measure with which we measure will be measured out to us.
