15/06/2026
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You have learnt how it was said: Eye for eye and tooth for tooth. But I say this to you: offer the wicked man no resistance. On the contrary, if anyone hits you on the right cheek, offer him the other as well; if a man takes you to law and would have your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone orders you to go one mile, go two miles with him. Give to anyone who asks, and if anyone wants to borrow, do not turn away.’
Which is easier to do when someone is lashing out at us? To practise self-restraint and keep one’s dignity or to lash out in retaliation? By lashing out we know we come down to the same level as the person who is attacking us, but at the time, it seems to be the only way.
If we think for a moment of what our first reaction would be when someone attacks our integrity or makes an unfair judgment about us or someone that we care about!
Have we ever raised voices because of something someone else thought, said, or did? What do we want to say to the one who tells a lie about us, betrays a confidence, or brings up something in our past to use against us? Have you ever spent time planning out revenge in your head against someone who has hurt you, even though you may have no intention of carrying out the plan? What do you want to do or say to that person who has hurt you or someone you love? Have you ever just lost it and hit out at someone using angry words or violence? Have you ever wanted to get even, “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth?” I’m guessing all of us have been in situations like these at some stage!
I’m sure we all have replayed an argument over and over in our heads at some stage, thinking of just the right words that would cut the other person down to size! It seems a natural reaction to fight back, after all, no-one likes to appear weak or appear to be a doormat. We all know what it’s like! Injustice, Unfairness and Inequality soon turn to fear, hurt and anger. The blood starts to boil in us and finally we unleash what we have been trying so hard to control.
In that moment our reaction seems right, normal and even good. We feel strong and even justified. We tell ourselves that he or she started it and we were only finishing it. Weren’t we just defending ourselves and our good name? But Jesus in the reading we just heard, offers us a new way and it is one that he exhibited in his own life. When he was wrongly accused, arrested, beaten, mocked, crucified, he didn’t retaliate, he remained silent and calm. He answered Pilate respectfully. He chastised Peter for taking out his sword. He forgave those who hurt him. He promoted peace and forgiveness and lived by these rules. Was that weakness on his part or would we not say that he showed a tremendous strength of character? Turning the other cheek is not at all a sign of weakness. It requires great inner strength, self-respect and even respect for the dignity of one’s attacker. To follow Jesus’ example when people are trying to hurt us is extremely difficult. To maintain a calm, non-defensive, caring exterior and interior seems strange when facing insult, injustice and inequality. It is only with God’s help that we can do this. Violence, revenge, loss of self-control is never the answer. In the end, only peace can bring about peace, only love can help others love. God is not asking us to be a doormat for anyone or he is not saying that we should put up with abusive relationships and this is important to remember this. We can challenge injustice and inequality peacefully and should challenge it, but our motives are important. If we are seeking some sort of personal revenge or personal gain by fighting for a cause or by retaliating for injustice done to us, this is not the type of behaviour Jesus points us too. Jesus asks us always to respond with respect and love for the other person and when people hurt us to ask ourselves why and is it possible that we could do something to help this person who has hurt us? Jesus invites us to go the extra mile with people, to share and to be generous with our love and forgiveness.
Lord help us always to be people who seek peace. Help us to let go of hurts and resentments, that can so easily fester. You call us to love, to treat everyone with respect and uphold their dignity as children of God. Help us to reflect the Gospel message in our actions and reactions and to always strive to be channels of your peace. 🙏
