From next Sunday’s lectionary… “But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” The feeling sometimes called love is well-nigh impossible in such circumstances. But maybe those practical actions, the blessing, the praying, however hard, can be a beginning. What is an ‘enemy’ anyway? Is it different from an oppressor or an abuser? Is there an implied parity of power? You might be able to pray for an abuser, but not live with them.
And now this, “If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt.” Other versions of this refer to the Roman occupying forces. You might even see this as a kind of nonviolent challenge to the empire – a deliberate confusing of the way these things normally go.