Monday of Week 11 in Ordinary Time
1 Kgs 21:1-16
Mt 5:38-42
“…if anyone hits you on the right cheek, offer him the other as well”
When my son was in Year 3, in a completely unprovoked incident, two boys accosted him during his lunch break at school and started shoving him. After they pushed him to the ground, one of them punched him. Somehow, my son managed to get up and punched the boy back; and it was only when he managed to defend himself, that the bully stopped. He came home utterly depressed and after much persuasion, he confided the whole episode to me. On the one hand, I did not condone the physical altercation and I told him so, but on the other hand, I was relieved to know that he was able to defend himself when he was punched. Therefore, I struggle a lot with today’s reading, and I don’t think I have come to a peaceful resolution just yet. So, I ask that you please do not judge, but if you have to comment, please respectfully offer up your views, as if you were in the same situation.
I think that as humans, we are quick to anger. Somehow, we cannot help it. A small touch, or even a passing word and we are all up in arms and ready to confront or cancel the other person out. Sometimes, it feels like if we do not say anything to protect our pride, it’s as though we ‘chickened out’. To make matters worse, sometimes the perpetrator provokes us and insults us for walking away. And I know that burning in your heart, the injustice of it all, wanting to shout and vent and fight back. Some of the encounters I have experienced in my life are accidental — which I can easily overlook — but some, not so. Some are done with intention from the other side. I consider myself a rather patient person and, as much as I can, I try to hold my tongue. I would rather walk away and say nothing, but it doesn’t mean that I feel nothing. And I know that my children are looking to me and at me to see how I respond, as it will shape how they respond in future.
Many a time when I have chosen to walk away, I confess that the feeling of anger for being wronged remains in my heart. I feel like the situation has not been resolved and as such, my heart cannot be at peace. And then when I read the verse, “when someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well”, I get even more conflicted and wonder how do I do that? How does God expect me to remain indignant, to ask me to “offer no resistance to one who is evil”? It has been a painful lesson to learn — which I am still learning — because every time I have such a thought, the verse from Romans 12:19 pops up in my head: “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.”
I do receive some comfort from that. I know that God is on my side — He has avenged me before and I have seen it once. The interesting thing is that during that incident, it took me such great effort to walk away and not exacerbate it, but when God kept reminding me that He would repay in His own time, I felt at peace enough to move on with my life without it hanging over my head.
So, what happens when we are talking about self-defense? I’m not sure about this one to be honest. I know that Exodus mentions self-defense when protecting your home from intruders. Then again, I also think of the time when Jesus asked Peter to put away his sword when they were surrounded in the Garden of Gethsemane, choosing non-violence over a fight.
I don’t think I will know how to justify any of this, and I still look to God to give me the guidance. I pray that I can make the right choice in every situation and that in so doing, be the role model that God intends me to be for my kids and attain peace in my heart and mind.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Annette Soo)
Prayer: Dear God, in a world where tempers are fiery and fuses are short, I pray that we may all be able to take a moment to let the anger subside before we react. I pray for Your help and guidance to keep our tempers in check, lest we make decisions and actions that we will regret.
Thanksgiving: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your promise to avenge us in our hour of need. Thank You for hearing our pleas when we cry out to You.
OXYGEN 
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