Why should any human being in the world be merely tolerated? What man has ever made a sacrifice in the name of tolerance? It leads men, instead, to express their own egotism in a book or a lecture that patronizes the downtrodden group. One of the cruelest things that can happen to a human being is to be tolerated. Never once did Our Lord say, “Tolerate your enemies!” But He did say, “Love your enemies; do good to them that hate you” (Matt. 5:44). Such love can be achieved only if we deliberately curb our fallen nature’s animosities.” -Fulton J. Sheen, Peace of Soul
There are many instances that we just let the wrong doing of others pass us by. We tend to "tolerate" it and just keep it to ourselves. But if we look deeper, we just don't want to be aggraivated by the situation or we just want to evade the person. As Sheen would put it, One of the cruelest things that can happen to a human being is to be tolerated.
Loving your enemies is the Christian response to those whom we easily despise or to those who have wronged us. To love is to be in an uncomfortable situation, where our humility is tested and our patience is challenged. Jesus, despite knowing the criticisms he will get for entering the home of Zacchaeus the tax collector (Luke 19:1-12), didn't mind for love and salvation was His agenda. Who was Zacchaeus? A rich "publican," that is, a tax collector for the Roman authorities, and precisely for this he was regarded as a public sinner (Benedict XVI).
The love of Christ transformed this public sinner. Zacchaeus offered half of his possessions to be given to the poor and to pay back four times of whatever was extorted. Salvation has come for this sinner.
Christ does not tolerate, He loves. And so must we.
There are many instances that we just let the wrong doing of others pass us by. We tend to "tolerate" it and just keep it to ourselves. But if we look deeper, we just don't want to be aggraivated by the situation or we just want to evade the person. As Sheen would put it, One of the cruelest things that can happen to a human being is to be tolerated.
Loving your enemies is the Christian response to those whom we easily despise or to those who have wronged us. To love is to be in an uncomfortable situation, where our humility is tested and our patience is challenged. Jesus, despite knowing the criticisms he will get for entering the home of Zacchaeus the tax collector (Luke 19:1-12), didn't mind for love and salvation was His agenda. Who was Zacchaeus? A rich "publican," that is, a tax collector for the Roman authorities, and precisely for this he was regarded as a public sinner (Benedict XVI).
The love of Christ transformed this public sinner. Zacchaeus offered half of his possessions to be given to the poor and to pay back four times of whatever was extorted. Salvation has come for this sinner.
Christ does not tolerate, He loves. And so must we.
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