Aggression is one of our instinctive reactions to difficult situations. Jesus’ teaching in today’s Gospel tells us that if we respond to aggression with more aggression we risk creating an endless cycle of violence. Violence harms our unity, setting one person against another and making cooperation impossible. Jesus teaches that God’s love extends to everyone, and that includes people we might regard as our enemies, and people we have excluded from our circle of friends. Jesus left us with a code for life, a lifestyle that seems contrary to much of the thinking and action in mainstream society. It is a lifestyle He lived himself: where everybody is to be shown love and respect.
It is not only in the spheres of the military, business and politics that aggression and confrontation rear their heads – it is also in the run of the mill of our daily life. Just think about how aggressive driving can lead to road rage a real effort to get on together. Retaliation or “payback†is a strong theme in the film world, and perhaps we are too tolerant of violence in the media. In how many of our homes do we allow violent video games to be played, despite evidence that regular playing risks creating insensivity towards violence? The Gospel calls us to reject the belief that aggression is often the best and easiest wat to solve problems. Efforts to bulid bridges with people we don’t like or who have harmed us might bring surprising results. If not, then we may take consolation that we are being faithful to the way of living that Jesus expects of His followers.