Nice short article by a woman theologian (Dr. Jamie Waters) at DePaul University. You should be able to access the whole article without being blocked.
Jesus gives his followers multiple challenging commands, such as “love your enemies, be good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you and pray for those who mistreat you.” We know the command to love (agape) is a call to emulate God’s divine, selfless love for all creation. With these instructions, Jesus requires the disciples to confront people doing evil but not reciprocate their hostility.
Jesus opposed people and systems that created poverty and oppression, and this commitment is embedded in the Gospels. At the same time, Jesus responded to the needs of the world with love and mercy, and he wanted the same of his followers. We hear this explicitly with Jesus’ statement to “be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
We should notice that Jesus’ command is not to love injustice and ignore corruption. Jesus does not want us to accept abuse, tolerate racism or overlook the root causes of suffering in society. Rather, he wants us to be actively, creatively and mercifully engaged in preventing and solving the problems of the world. Today’s Gospel is not about passively acquiescing to corrupt forces, which is a misinterpretation of Jesus’ call to turn the other cheek.
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