Jesus calls on the Father to consecrate the disciples in Truth in His prayer. The question is how do we become consecrated in truth and live it. Notice that Jesus says that his disciples are in the world but not of the world. This is also seen in other parts of the New Testament including 1John. We are in the world, but we are not of the world. This means that we are here for now, but we are not of the mindset of the ruling powers that are here. We will always be at odds with the ruling ideas of our world here. The world is filled with narcissistic ideas that when denied turn to self centered hatred. This is the what the Devil stands for and when those who have embraced the world and even the Devil do not get what they want, which they never will, they become narcissistic haters. Those they hate the most are in fact those who are not of the world, but are of Christ.

However, if we want to experience this consecration in truth, we understand what it means to know and live the truth. What we need to do is to put the words of Jesus into action in our lives.

Too many people define our faith as following a certain set of rules and living a certain behavior, but how does Jesus define living our faith. Living on every word that comes from the mouth of God. That means if we are going to live in truth, we are not just going to be nice or even good people. We are going to do what Jesus tells us to do, every word.

The most important of those words, scholars and saints tell u,s is to love and the measure of how much we love is our attitude toward our enemies. If you want to know the truth that Jesus leads us to know, and to experience, you need to be praying for your enemies. Not necessarily every day, but when they come to mind.

It does not matter what they have done to you or done against you. If you hold a grudge, if you choose to hate them, you will never experience truth. If you choose to pray for them, even if your choice includes the realization that presently you cannot pray for them, but that you will pray for grace to eventually pray for them, then you will know the truth.

We cannot read the words of the Gospel and understand that they demand of us something that the world rejects outright. In the world’s mind enemies are enemies and true enemies must  never be forgiven or treated mercifully, they are enemies and enemies should suffer and die. In the mindset of the disciples of Christ, enemies must be prayed for and given mercy when they seek it. God says through the Apostle Paul that vengeance is His alone and never ours.

This is one of the defining points of the Christian. Many will define Christianity in the worldly understanding of goodness. This means that enemies are enemies and must be treated as such. We must lock them up and throw away the key. We punish them and we must even if need be kill them, none of these are the call the of Christian. If we do not act in mercy towards our enemies, then we are not true disciples of Christ.

One of my favorite examples of this were the case of two enemies that fought intensely. One from a good family who was of a nationality that the other rejected. Their animosity reached the level of violence quite often until finally, this violence became criminal. In working with both groups, I gave the family of one information they were not aware of. Their enemy did not have a mother. She died when he was just a child. He and his father lived together in a poor section of the city. The mother in the family was shocked to learn that he never had a mother. There was a great opportunity for at least some form of praying for the enemy no matter how serious the violence had become. It is an essential element.

Do you have enemies whom you have chosen to hate or to ignore? You have to pray for them now. Yes, right now. If you have never prayed for them, turn from your computer and do so now, starting with those with whom you refuse to speak. Do you enemies include perpetrators of crimes against you? Pray for them now. You don’t have to visit them in prison, but pray for them now.

If you want to know the truth of which Jesus speaks, then pray for your enemies. Let go all grudges and seek to do ALL that Jesus commands of us. Then the truth will set you free.

God bless you,

Fr. Robert J Carr

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