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If you have ever played a video game, then you know that there is always a series of levels.
The first level is the easiest, and the final level is the most difficult. Sometimes it takes multiple tries before you succeed in beating that final level.
But if you do, then you have mastered the game.
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In a similar way, if Christianity were likened to a video game, then today’s Gospel would be the final level: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
If you can do this, then you’ve mastered Christianity.
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Who are my enemies? Who do I struggle to love or forgive?
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Maybe we’re struggling to forgive a co-worker, a family member, or a friend.
On a personal level, I’ve been struggling to forgive those Church leaders who’ve betrayed our trust. Maybe you have been struggling with that, too.
I find it no small coincidence that today’s Gospel comes on the heels of the reports surfacing in the news. We as a Church have been hurt – betrayed.
But Jesus invites us today to forgive anyone who’s caused us harm – at home, at school, at work, or even in the Church.
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I’m not suggesting that we snap our fingers and instantly forgive – or trust again. Forgiveness isn’t easy. In fact, Jesus says, “For man this is impossible. But with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).
We’d make progress today if we simply prayed for the desire to forgive and rise above the realm of judgment, because the negativity within – although justified – only eats at us.
What Jesus offers us in exchange is his peace. This does not mean that we forget the past or weaken our demands for justice.
But it does mean that we become open to moving forward with Christ in our hearts.
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Perhaps the million-dollar question is this: How do we forgive? Or how do we let go of past hurts?
My answer might only be worth five cents. But I hope it’s a start.
Let’s return to the image of playing a video game.
Many of us remember those days when we were kids and we spent hours in front of the television trying to master the next level.
At some point we realized we couldn’t win on our own; we needed the help of another, and so we allowed our siblings or another friend to join in. Together, we advanced further than we would have alone.
Maybe we even mastered the game.
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In a similar way, we cannot live our lives alone. We need people whom we can trust, who listen to us and share our burdens – people who can help us advance along the path of Christianity, the path of love.
Just as two minds are better at playing a game, so two hearts are better at navigating the straits of life.
Who is that person, or who are those people, for me?
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It’s always better to share our thoughts and feelings with them than to hold anything in.
We as a Church must also continue to listen to those who’ve been hurt, and respond with appropriate action in order to rebuild the trust that has been lost.
I know our own Archbishop is listening, and seeking to rebuild those bonds of trust. We must pray for him as he continues to lead our local church forward.
***
Just as it takes multiple tries before conquering the final level of a game, so it takes time – perhaps a lifetime – to put the hardest teachings of Christ into practice.
And we cannot do it alone.
Our faith is not a game; it is real.
It challenges us, comforts us, and assures us that God will make all things right in the end.
But in the meantime, we must turn to those whom we can trust, who share our burdens, and pray for the grace to move forward together.