Love Your Enemies

Today's passage from the Sermon the Mount continues the theme of loving everyone.  Jesus poses an enormous challenge:  "'You have heard it said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy, but I say to your, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father...." (Mt 5: 43-44)  Echoing in our Marist ears is the injunction of St. Marcellin:  "To educate the children, you must love them all, and love them all equally,"  "Enemies" included:  those rascals, disturbers, "spoiled brats", contentious, disrespectful students....  It's hard enough to find love for the terrorists who are making headlines around the world, most recently in Orlando, Florida, but how about those "enemies"  who are part of our lives,  with whom we work, who are always on the opposite side, who automatically, it seems, say black when you say white?  Or who never show up on time, if even at all, after making an appointment?  Do we grit our teeth and just bear it, or do we stop, reflect and see that they too are God's children whom he loves? In so doing, we can diffuse our anger and gradually come to love them as Jesus does.  Yes, a big step, but again Philippians 4 :13 "I can do all things in Him who strengthens me."
Bro. Rene