Amid division, Christians are called to pray for their enemies
Division seems to be everywhere. Here in Alberta we are just finishing a vote on whether to hold a referendum on leaving Canada, while many people in the United States prepare for midterm elections where the battle lines are deeply entrenched. A trade dispute between Canada and the United States adds to the division where many Canadians refuse to travel South. And beyond politics, division can reach into our parishes and families.
It is difficult to reconcile images of Paris warmly welcoming Pope Leo just weeks ago with the protests now taking place there.
Across nations and communities, disagreements can harden into hostility. As Christians, we should recognize the spiritual danger in that pattern: division can pull people away from one another, from their communities and from God.
Jesus offered a different way.
He called his followers to love their enemies. That does not mean pretending disagreements do not matter or avoiding difficult conversations. People can debate how best to protect their families and communities, and they may not arrive at the same conclusion.
But they can still listen, speak respectfully and refuse to treat those who disagree as enemies beyond understanding.
I have been taking part in The Great Adventure Bible Timeline study, and it has brought that lesson into sharper focus.
The divisions that tore apart Israel were not merely political disputes. The people’s failure to listen to one another and to God led them toward exile. Their story is a warning: when we stop listening, we risk creating a kind of exile in our own lives — isolation from God and one another.
At Heroic Men, we work to build brotherhood and reach men who feel lonely or isolated.
We want them to know they are not alone and that God loves them. We also want to help create opportunities for an encounter with God. Those relationships and support matter, but brotherhood should not become a bunker mentality — a sense that our group is safe only when separated from everyone else.
The Christian mission is broader than defending our own side. Jesus told his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations. That work requires contact with people who may see the world differently. If we cannot engage those on the other side of an argument and show them the love of Christ, it is difficult to see how we can make a difference in the mission.
The Bible returns repeatedly to the call to love those we consider enemies.
In Matthew 5:43-44, Jesus tells his disciples to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them. Luke 6:35 likewise calls them to love their enemies and do good.
These teachings do not require agreement on every issue. They do require that Christians refuse to let disagreement erase the dignity of another person.
We must also keep our purpose in view.
We want to protect our families and communities, but our hope should extend beyond ourselves to the people around us. As Bishop Scott says in our evangelization series, evangelization begins with love. If we do not begin there, our efforts lose their foundation.
That is why I want to offer a small challenge to those taking part in the pledge we are promoting, which includes praying for three men.
Choose one man whose views place him on the other side of an issue — someone you may be tempted to regard as an enemy — and begin praying for him. Then tell him, “I’m praying for you. Is there anything I can pray for?”
The gesture may not resolve a political dispute or produce agreement. It may, however, open a door to a more peaceful relationship.
Romans 12:18-19 urges Christians, as far as it depends on them, to live at peace with everyone and to leave room for God’s judgment.
That work begins close to home: in families, parishes and communities, and in conversations across the lines that divide us.
Peace does not require consensus. It does require that we keep listening, keep praying and keep treating others with the love of Christ.