Turn the Other Cheek

one

We continue to meditate on the teaching of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:38 “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. 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 any one 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.

Taken out of context, this passage is easy to misunderstand. Jesus is not saying we should be spineless passive cowards who submit to whatever evil we face. Jesus does not forbid self-defense - we are not passivists. In John 18:22 Jesus, in fact, defends himself…more on that later. In this passage what Jesus forbids is returning evil for evil. We cannot solve evil with more evil. St. Paul tells us we must resist evil and overcome it with good.  Rm 12:21

two

Joseph Pieper sums up the teaching of St Augustine and St Thomas Aquinas on this passage from of the Sermon on the Mount

Christ Himself…whose earthly life was entirely permeated…by His readiness for sacrificial death, (His readiness to sacrifice that which is lesser to preserve that which is greater) — This same Christ drove the money-changers from the temple with a whip; and when (Jesus) the most patient of men stood before the high priest and was struck in the face by a servant, He did not turn the other cheek, but defended himself saying: “If I have spoken wrongly, bear witness to the wrong; but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?” (John 18, 23). Thomas Aquinas…has pointed to the apparent contradiction between this scene and the injunction of the Sermon on the Mount: “I say unto you, resist not evil; if one strike you on the right cheek, offer him the other” (Matt. 5, 39). A passivistic interpretation is quite unable to solve this “contradiction.” Thomas explains…: “Holy Scripture must be understood in the light of what Christ and the saints have actually practiced. Christ did not offer His other cheek, nor Paul either. Thus to interpret the injunction of the Sermon on the Mount literally is to misunderstand it. This injunction signifies rather the readiness…to bear, if it be necessary, such things and worse, without bitterness against the attacker. This readiness our Lord showed, when He gave up His body to be crucified. That response of the Lord was useful, therefore, for our instruction.”

By His life and by his words Jesus shows us that we must fight evil to change it; and when we have done all we can and can do no more; then we are ready to endure and even give up our life for the greater good.

three

St. Thomas Aquinas explains that when we are faced with evil, we have two good options - to Attack or to Endure. These are the two parts of the virtue of fortitude or courage.

1.  Let’s take the first one: When you face evil, you must attack it, pounce on it, bar its entrance - Take initiative and change it if you can, but don’t remain passive in the face of evil

a.  If we would have done this as Catholics 50 years ago then we would not be in the moral mess we are today in our society – but we went along with the evil quietly and look where it has us. 

So the first response to evil should be to attack it, which means to do all you can to change what is bad, do the good even when you don’t want to, especially when you are afraid or when you stand to lose something lesser but still valuable. Attack also means to resist temptations as soon as they arise and not give them a foothold in your life. And finally, to attack evil means to defend the good – speak up, defend what is Right and correct evil.

four

The second response to evil is to endure which means to remain good in the face of evil. Once you’ve tried everything, but you can’t change it, then you must endure evil with patience, that is, without giving up or becoming evil yourself. This is when we are called to take up our cross and follow Jesus. But this is not a moment of defeat. This is where we become the MOST powerful.

The cross is the power of God. If we unite our cross to the Cross of Jesus, then our suffering and endurance begins to participate in His Redemptive Cross. Jesus makes us partners in His work.

Jesus uses our cross to change the world and save souls.

Jesus made his biggest impact by enduring the Cross. Likewise, Jesus gives us a way to change everything by the same means – by enduring our cross and offering it up patiently.

In this way, just when the devil thinks he’s won, you stab him with his own dagger – you use your cross to conquer evil. This is precisely what Jesus did on the cross and we fight by the same means.

So don’t waste your cross. Offer it up for the love of Jesus, for the love of souls for the defeat of Satan.

five

We are called not only to endure but to endure patiently which means cheerfully.  

If we endure but at the same time are complaining, losing our faith, taking our frustration out on the people around us and not accepting and offering up our cross, then we are not enduring as a Christian. Patience is a special form of fortitude whereby we endure hardships cheerfully.

James 1: 2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet various trials, for you know that your faith is only put to the test to make you patient, but patience too is to have its practical results so that you will become fully-developed, complete, with nothing missing.

We can be cheerful in difficulty or suffering if we keep in mind the good that God is doing in us. We don’t have to like what we’re going through, and it doesn’t have to feel good. But we can still make the choice to think and act with cheerfulness because we know that God works all things for good for those who love him.

So keep in mind – when we face evil we have two good options:

·       Attack it – do all you can to stop it or change it

·       Endure it by uniting it to the cross of Jesus which is the power of God to change the world.