And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” Mark 15:39
“His prayer to God was pure, His alone out of all mankind, for in the midst of His suffering He prayed for His persecutors: Father, for give them, for they do not know what they are doing. It is possible to offer, or even to imagine, a purer kind of prayer than that which shows mercy on one’s torturers by making intercession for them? It was thanks to this kind of prayer that the frenzied persecutors who shed the blood of our Redeemer drank it afterward in faith and proclaimed Him to be the Son of God.”
Gregory the Great (c. 130-202) in his treatise on Job as recounted Milton Walsh in Witness of the Saints: Patristic Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012) 634.
As I process generosity in light of the unwarranted injustice and affliction this week, God is revealing to me that we must not be overcome by evil, but that we can overcome it with good by praying for our persecutors.
In the case of the crucifixion of Christ, our Lord was not overcome by their evil but overcame it with good with His “purer kind of prayer” from the cross. He asked God to show mercy on those whose aims were malicious.
Notice what happened. Gregory rightly reveals that how He spoke to them. How He prayed for them. How He died, convinced them that He was the Son of God. It led the worst people to see Him for who He was. What’s the lesson for all of us?
I am learning that anger is an easy, fleshly response to evil treatment. And, it accomplishes nothing. Alternatively, when we show generosity in times of crisis, we reveal a power greater than evil and it can transform our oppressors.
To learn more about the recent adversity, read the 14 April 2023 post here. Thanks to those who made gifts to GTP in response. We remain unsure whether we can make payroll and pay bills this week. Give as you are able here. Thanks.
Father, for give them, for they do not know what they are doing.