Loving Enemies

Ego autem dico vobis, Diligite inimicos vestros Quoniam ignorantibus mysterium naturae humana impossibile videtur diligere inimicum. Et vere impossibile est, quantum ad carnis naturam, quia passionibus subjacet: quantum autem ad animam, possibile est, quia propri judicii est ideo: et regere et reinere potest carnem a passionibus. Numquam enim anima passibilem regeret carnem, si ipsa passionibus esset subjecta. Puto autem, sicut illud quod dictum est: Ego autem dico, non concupisces: non loquiter Deus ad carnis naturam, quae non potest fieri ut non concupiscat quod suum est: sed ad animam, quae non concupiscere potest. Nam quando quis corporalibus quidem motibus excitatur, voluntas autem illius non inclinatur, ut faciat opus quod facere instigatur, sed stabilii proposito, continentia et operatione justitiae, irrationabiles motus corporis frangit, et si corpore concupiscit, animus ejus non concupiscit; si autem consenserit explere quod cogitat, tunc vere dicitur animo concupiscere: sic in hoc loco: caro quidem inimicum suum diligere non potest, quemadmodum nec est possibile, ut injuriam non sentiat sibi illatam; anima autem inimicum diligere potest, quia dilectio vel odium carnis in sensu est, animae autem in intellectu. Propterea anima quidem secundum rationem vertitur, caro autem invertibilis in passione tenetur: quoniam anima libera est, et sub principatu Dei est; caro autem captiva est, and sub principatu diaboli est, sicut et mundus qui in maligno positus est, quoniam et ipsa caro de mundo est. Quando ergo nocemur ab aliquo, etsi odimus eum, non tamen exsequimur odium nostum, considerantes Dei justitiam, sed magis confringentes motus doloris nostri, et benedicimus ei, et benefacimus. Cognosce quia caro quidem nostra odit inimicum suum, quae nocita diligere non potest, anima autem diligit inimicum. Alioqui si unusquisque motus suae carnis considerat, nullum bonum facere invenitur: quia omne bonum, adversante carnis natura, contradicentibus nobis ipsis explemus. Deinde qui te innocentem injuriatur, si incipias considerare quomodo a diabolo possidetur et agitur, quomodo voluntatem suam adimplet per ministerum ejus, non solum non irasceris ei, sed ahuc misereberis ejus: miseratio autem excitat affectum. Opus Imperfectum in Matthaeum, Homilia XIII Source: Migne PG 56.702-3

But I say to you, love your enemies. 1 To those ignorant of the mysteries of human nature it appears impossible to love an enemy. And truly it is impossible as much as it pertains to the nature of the flesh, because it is subject to the passions, but as much as it pertains to the soul it is possible, because it has its own judgement and it is able to rule and restrain the flesh from the passions, but if the soul has become become subject to the passions it can never rule the passion affected flesh. I think, as has been said, as I said about not lusting, that God does not speak of the flesh here, which is not able to be something which does not desire its own things, but to the soul, which is capable of not desiring. For when someone is moved by bodily motions, his will may incline not to do the deed which has been instigated, and with the firm intention of continence and with the work of righteousness, he may stamp down on the irrational movement of the body, if the body desires what his soul does not. But if he shall consent to accomplish what it would, then truly he tells the soul to desire. Therefore, in this passage the flesh is not able to love its enemy and likewise it is not possible that it cannot feel an injury that is inflicted, but the soul can love an enemy, because the love or hate of the flesh is in the sense but the soul's is in the mind. Because of which the soul turns over things according to reason, and the body is held fast by passions, since the soul is free and beneath the power of God and the flesh is captive, beneath the power of the devil, and so the world is in wicked position set, 2 because the flesh is from the world. When, then, we are harmed by someone, even if we hate him, we must not follow our hatred, but considering the righteousness of God, and more the ruinous motions of our grief, we bless him and we do good. Let it be known that our flesh hates our enemy because it is not able to love that which harms it. Besides if anyone should consider the motion of his own flesh he will find no good there, because we fulfill every good in contradiction to the averse nature of the flesh. Finally he who is harmed in innocence, if he considers how the devil possesses and acts, and how his will is fulfilled through his servants, he shall not only refrain from anger, but he shall be merciful and mercy shall kindle love. Opus Imperfectum on Matthew, from Homily 13 1 Mt 5.44 2 1 Jn 5.19