Drawing Line Between Highest Charity and Vengeance

Reflection on Today's Readings, 11th Week in Ordinary Time Year II, Monday 15th June, 2020
Texts: 1Kgs. 21:1-16; Ps. 5:2,35-7; Mtt. 5:38-42
Going through today's readings, one cannot but ask why the first reading and the gospel reading are put together. In the first reading there is a perpetration of evil: false accusation and killing of a man over his property. In the gospel, Jesus Christ tells us thus: "Do not resist one who is evil". This could make us think that Jesus Christ condoles evil. However, the Psalm clear the air  as it says, "you are no God who delights in evil; no sinner is your guest. .... All who do evil you despise; all who lie you destroy. The deceitful and those who shed blood, the Lord detests. Hence, Jesus Christ could have not condoled evil, since he is God too. The value that Jesus Christ is passing across here is the value of highest charity: returning good for evil, not evil for evil. It is a courtesy to return good for good, it is a charity to do good to anyone but it is a charity of highest order to do good to one's enemy or to return good for evil. Jesus Christ says, "But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; and if anyone would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you". That is the charity of highest order, it belongs to divine realm. It is this kind of charity that Jesus Christ practised: he died for us when we were still at enmity with him.
The core value of this highest charity is 'no revenge but good for evil'. Hence, in the gospel, Jesus Christ says, "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth'. But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil". Vengeance does not, in any way, takes away one's pain or cancel the evil done. Vengeance can only turn one to sadist, one who rejoices over evil.
However, the reflection on highest charity so far seems to suggest that it accommodates evil. God forbid that highest charity condoles evil. It seeks to eradicate evil. But we may ask: How? The highest charity fights evil with good in view, not punishment or pain. Vengeance aims at inflicting pains while highest charity aims at doing good. For instance, if I arrest a person who stole from me because he stole from me and to punish him for that, it is a vengeance, but if the motive of the arrest is to make him realize that stealing is evil and as such he should stop it, it is highest charity, for I have done him good for the evil he has done to me. While vengeance has anger at its root, highest charity has love.

Lord our God, implant in our hearts the desire to always do good, no matter the evil done to us. Amen.

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke