I find this command very hard today because it is no longer in the abstract for me and my family. I consider that I have shown love by choosing not to seek vengeance. That probably isn't enough after reading this article, so I need to pray to understand what change I need to make in my attitude.
However, I completely agree about the importance of ordering your loves for people. In the Western Church this is called the Ordo Amoris and was shared by Catholic and Protestant alike. Modern and Post-Modern church leaders have rejected the Ordo Amoris and call Christians to flatten our loves so that it is the same for all or much less different. I think this is a big mistake. In practice it will lead fathers to abandon their wives and children when they need him the most. It will convince men that their neighborhood, city, and country aren't worth more attention or protection than a person on the other side of the world.
This call for flattened love and loyalty will lead to withholding love from those who depend on you for provision and protection. I think it should be rejected. But I still need to love my enemies in an appropriate way.
Jesus put it in order regarding our actions toward our enemies: love, bless, do good, pray. I agree with you that this is tremendously difficult, yet I believe it will be less so if I can first live through the Beatitudes.
With that said, it seems to me I could at least "pray." It is interesting that Jesus put that last, as without God's assistance, I find the first three well beyond human capability. Which comes back to, I guess, growing in the Beatitudes first.
As to ordering your loves, I don't see another way. If there comes a time when I have to make a life-altering choice between loving my family and loving my enemy, I will have to choose an order, and I know what the order will be.
I find this command very hard today because it is no longer in the abstract for me and my family. I consider that I have shown love by choosing not to seek vengeance. That probably isn't enough after reading this article, so I need to pray to understand what change I need to make in my attitude.
However, I completely agree about the importance of ordering your loves for people. In the Western Church this is called the Ordo Amoris and was shared by Catholic and Protestant alike. Modern and Post-Modern church leaders have rejected the Ordo Amoris and call Christians to flatten our loves so that it is the same for all or much less different. I think this is a big mistake. In practice it will lead fathers to abandon their wives and children when they need him the most. It will convince men that their neighborhood, city, and country aren't worth more attention or protection than a person on the other side of the world.
This call for flattened love and loyalty will lead to withholding love from those who depend on you for provision and protection. I think it should be rejected. But I still need to love my enemies in an appropriate way.
https://thecrosssectionrmb.blogspot.com/
Jesus put it in order regarding our actions toward our enemies: love, bless, do good, pray. I agree with you that this is tremendously difficult, yet I believe it will be less so if I can first live through the Beatitudes.
With that said, it seems to me I could at least "pray." It is interesting that Jesus put that last, as without God's assistance, I find the first three well beyond human capability. Which comes back to, I guess, growing in the Beatitudes first.
As to ordering your loves, I don't see another way. If there comes a time when I have to make a life-altering choice between loving my family and loving my enemy, I will have to choose an order, and I know what the order will be.