Luke 6:27

To love friends is the custom for all people, but to love enemies is customary only for Christians.

(in reg. brev. 176.) It is indeed the part of an enemy to injure and be treacherous. Every one then who does harm in any way to any one is called his enemy.

(ubi sup.) But because man consists of body and soul, to the soul indeed we shall do this good, by reproving and admonishing such men, and leading them by the hand to conversion; but to the body, by profiting them in the necessaries of life.

There are two ways, one of life and one of death; but a great difference between the two ways. The way of life, then, is this: First, thou shalt love God who made thee; second, thy neighbour as thyself; and all things whatsoever thou wouldst should not occur to thee, thou also to another do not do. And of these sayings the teaching is this: Bless them that curse you, and pray for your enemies, and fast for them that persecute you. For what thank is there, if ye love them that love you? Do not also the Gentiles do the same? But do ye love them that hate you; and ye shall not have an enemy. Abstain thou from fleshly and worldly lusts. If one give thee a blow upon thy right cheek, turn to him the other also; and thou shalt be perfect. If one impress thee for one mile, go with him two. If one take away thy cloak, give him also thy coat. If one take from thee thine own, ask it not back for indeed thou art not able. Give to every one that asketh thee, and ask it not back; for the Father willeth that to all should be given of our own blessings (free gifts).

For, whenever they hear from us that God says, "No thank have ye, if you love them which love you, but you have thank, if you love your enemies and them which hate you" — whenever they hear these words, they marvel at the surpassing …

How will you love your enemies and pray for your adversaries and persecutors? We see what happened in the case of Stephen. When he was being killed by the violence and stones of the Jews, he did not ask for vengeance but forgiveness for his murderers, saying: "O Lord, do not lay this sin against them." So it was most fitting that the first martyr for Christ who, in preceding by his glorious death the martyrs that were to come, was not only a preacher of the Lord's suffering but also an imitator of his most patient gentleness.

(Hom. 18. in Matt.) But He says not, Do not hate, but love; nor did He merely command to love, but also to do good, as it follows, Do good to them which hate you.

Wisdom pronounces anger a wretched thing, because "it will destroy the wise." And now He bids us "love our enemies, bless them that curse us, and pray for them that despitefully use us." And He says: "If any one strike thee on the one cheek, turn to him the other also; and if any one take away thy coat, hinder him not from taking thy cloak also."

Having proceeded in the enumeration of many heavenly actions, He not unwisely comes to this place last, that He might teach the people confirmed by the divine miracles to march onward in the footsteps of virtue beyond the path of the law. Lastly, among the three greatest, (hope, faith, and charity,) the greatest is charity, which is commanded in these words, Love your enemies.

Concerning the promulgation of the instructions, it should be noted that for a man to be perfect, it is necessary that he be perfectly benevolent, perfectly peaceable, and perfectly beneficent. The first regards affection, the second passion, and the third operation. He gives therefore first …

But that this rather pertains to actual charity seems to appear most especially from this: that when the Lord had said, "Love your enemies," he at once adds concerning works: "Do good to those who hate you" (Lk 6:27). Likewise Scripture: "If your enemy is …

But I say to you who listen: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you. Because He had said earlier what they might suffer from their enemies, now He shows in what way they themselves ought to act towards these same enemies. Many, …

Having spoken above of what they might suffer from their enemies, He now points out how they ought to conduct themselves towards their enemies, saying, But I say to you who hear.

Christ justifies his disciples in a work of necessity for themselves on that day, and that was plucking the ears of corn, when they were hungry on that day. This story here has a date, which we had not in the other evangelists; it was on the second sabbath after the first (

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens

But I say unto you which hear,....

He that has an ear, let him hear. Those that diligently hearken to Christ shall find he has something to say to them well worth their hearing. Now the lessons Christ here teacheth us are, I.

The teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ, in these verses — is confined to one great subject. That subject is Christian charity, or love. Charity, which is the grand characteristic of the Gospel — charity, which is the bond of perfectness — charity, without which a man is nothing in God's sight — charity is here fully expounded and strongly enforced. Well would it have been for the Church of Christ, if its Master's precept in this passage had been more carefully studied, and more diligently observed!

The teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ, in these verses — is confined to one great subject. That subject is Christian charity, or love. Charity, which is the grand characteristic of the Gospel — charity, which is the bond of perfectness — charity, without which a man is nothing in God's sight — charity is here fully expounded and strongly enforced. Well would it have been for the Church of Christ, if its Master's precept in this passage had been more carefully studied, and more diligently observed! In the first place — our Lord explains the nature and extent of Christian charity. The disciples might ask: WHOM are we to love? He bids them to "love their enemies — do good to those who hate them — bless those who curse them — and pray for those who despitefully use them." Their love was to be like His own love towards sinners — unselfish, and uninfluenced by any hope of return. The disciples might ask: What was to be the MANNER of this love? It was to be self-sacrificing and self-denying. "If someone smites you on the one cheek — turn the other cheek to him as well." "If someone takes your cloak — do not stop him from taking your shirt as well." They were to give up much, and endure much — for the sake of showing kindness and avoiding strife. They were to forego even their rights, and submit to wrong — rather than awaken angry passions and create quarrels. In this they were to be like their Master — patient, meek, and lowly of heart. In the second place — our Lord lays down a golden principle for the settlement of doubtful cases. He knew well that there will always be occasions when the line of duty towards our neighbor is not clearly defined. He knew how much self-interest and private feelings, will sometimes dim our perceptions of right and wrong.