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Love your enemies
Question from Val on 7/11/2009:

The following is written in Luke 6:27-28: "But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you."

And my definition of Love comes from 1 Corinthians, Chapter 13: "Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails."

Given the above statements how can Christians participate in war?

The reason that I ask this question is due to the following logic: When we kill our enemy, we are not being patient, we are not being kind, we are seeking our own will, we are taking into account a wrong suffered, we are not bearing all things, we have lost complete hope in our enemy, and we can no longer endure the injustice that is being imposed on us.

Thanks.

Answer by Fr.Stephen F. Torraco on 7/14/2009:

First of all, charity in unilateral situations is less complex than in mult-lateral situations, and the latter is the situation of war. Secondly, war can be morally justifiable in terms of self-defense or in terms of defending another country against an aggressor. In fact, in such a case, war can be an act of charity. In his Letter 138, St. Augustine explains this and argues that Christians make the finest soldiers.

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