Gospel: "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you," Jesus says today (Mt 5). This may be his hardest commandment. Yet it's so necessary. Freeing yourself from hating your enemies is a gift to them and to you. Why burden your own heart with so much hatred?... 
People often say, "Well, it's unrealistic." But Jesus lived in the real world and had many enemies, from almost the beginning of his ministry. Even when he's on the Cross, people come to taunt him. But Jesus never repays evil for evil, and his heart is never consumed with hate.
It's easy to find hate in the world. And it's easy to get drawn into it. But it always leads to a dark place interiorly. Try your best to follow the example Jesus gave us: the way of love, mercy and compassion for everyone, even for those who don't treat you in that way.
Image: "The Taking of Christ," by Caravaggio. Discovered in a Jesuit Community in Ireland and now in the National Gallery of Ireland.
