Today, true discipleship means praying for my “enemies”. Specifically, those who, if they found out what I was all about, may hate my guts. Jesus’ challenging call to “bless those who curse you” extends here to my immediate neighbors. My commute to work alone is suffuse with those who by merely their outdoor decoration signal their opposition to my convictions and way of life. By God’s grace, I’ve started praying a Hail Mary each time I pass these places. This is for their conversion, yes, but mainly for their health and the health of their families.
This is a very beautiful and necessary thing for us Christians to do. It uses the power of Jesus’ ability to redirect hate into love. It is exactly the spiritual martial arts of the cross. By recognizing the human dignity of those who deny that same human dignity to others, we completely erase the temptation towards hating even for the “right cause”.
The rad trads, Trumpees, and fundamentalists on my road deserve love and dignity as much as the refugees, LGBTQ+ folks, and yes, magisterial Catholics like myself that they refuse to extend welcome to. While the ideas they champion are not worthy of respect, their persons are worthy of my love simply by being people made in the image and likeness of God.
Peace.