Saturday 27 February
Matthew 5:43-48
The Nazi death camp Auschwitz is without doubt one of the darkest and most evil monuments to the sin and depravity of humankind, not just in the last century but probably in the history of the world. The Holocaust, the Shoah, showed that human beings have an extraordinary, almost limitless capacity for darkness, sin and evil.
One of the most remarkable things about Auschwitz is, however, that, in the midst of this museum of death and hate, we find a shrine of life, light and love. It is as if, as hard as the darkness tried, it could not extinguish the light. This shine is the starvation bunker in which St Maximilian Kolbe laid down his life in an act of love, holiness and self-sacrifice. In the same death camp St Edith Stein, Corrie ten Boom and Victor Frankl made their own heroic witness. Both Corrie ten Boom and Victor Frankl learnt to forgive their Nazi tormenters and Edith Stein, an outstanding intellectual and philosopher, went courageously to her death supporting and giving strength to her sister who died in the gas chamber with her.
William Blake wrote of this kind of love: ‘Love seeketh not itself to please, nor for itself hath any care. But for another gives its ease and builds a heaven in hell’s despair.’
The world cannot understand Christian love because it always involves self-sacrifice, going the extra mile and laying down one’s life. Christian love always includes a willingness to forgive, especially those who oppose and persecute us and cause us all kinds of suffering, trouble and difficulty. In short, we are called to love our enemies – no easy task, for sure, but a vital teaching of our faith. St Thomas More, who himself had many an enemy, wrote, ‘Give me your grace, good Lord, to think my greatest enemy my best friend; for the brothers of Joseph could never have done him so much good with their love and favour as they did him with their malice and hatred.’ Most of us come across people in our lives who are hard to love but it is precisely these people – those we find hardest to love – that we must reach out to and embrace with the love of Christ in our hearts.
‘Teach me Lord to forgive those who sin or offend against me, as you have forgiven me.’
Deuteronomy 26:16-19 • Psalm 118(119):1-8
Matthew 5:43-48
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