Slapsgiving: an Interesting Sunday Mass Sermon

Matthew 5:38-48 (New International Version)

Eye for Eye

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

Love for Enemies

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

This is a long overdue post, based on a sermon I heard weeks ago.
But in my opinion, it is still worth to write.

The priest opened the sermon by referring to the latest headline at the time, the occurrence of some religious persecutions in Indonesia. He said that it was hard to be a part of the minorities in this country, especially considering how powerless the government was against groups of religious fanatics who were free to roam and wreak havoc in the country, all in the name of a loving God.

“So based on the passage, what should we do?” he asked.

The question was hard, because really, in reality being passive isn’t only impractical, it also seems to be the wrong thing to do. When a parent was asked by the priest if she told her son to do nothing if a boy hit him in school, she understandably answered, “Of course not.”

So what should we do?

The priest said that had we read the passage carefully, we would have found that Jesus had never asked us to stand still and do nothing when people hurt us.

Jesus told us to turn over the other cheek,

which is not the same as doing nothing.


Taking a nonviolent path is different than doing nothing at all (which usually only means repressing all the hurt deep down of our chest). It actually means doing something that will take everyone away from violence, putting everybody’s sights into the unshackling correct perspectives.

Or in other words, it’s an act of turning over the other cheek.

In such an action, the victim stands up, takes whatever evil thing the perpetrator is doing, and declares it right in front of his eyes, WITHOUT adding fuel to the flame.
It is basically an act of unmasking the true face of evil, enlightening the bad guy how he is actually doing a bad thing (or in a more popular term, “the passive aggressive shit” – Celine, Before Sunrise), just like what Réne Girard wrote about Jesus and the crucifixion.
And in the end, hopefully, the perpetrator will be brought to light and come to his senses.


And the religious persecution?
Well, in such a case, the priest asked us to do the very least thing we can do.

SPEAK UP!

With every religious persecution that comes, we have to speak up about it.
Ask the people around what they think. Do they really think it is right? Do they think it is something that can be looked over?

Only by speaking up, will religious persecution become an issue. And only by making it an issue, will it not so easily go away. Speaking up will enlighten people that it is not something that can be taken for granted. Religious persecution is wrong, and people DO have the rights to choose and practice their own religion.


Regardless of whether such an interpretation is biblically correct, I think the idea is intriguing. Being passive to harm doesn’t solve anything. It traps the victim in a state of constant hurting and the perpetrator in a state of bleeding frenzy. Freedom of both parties from the circle of violence can only be achieved by an exaltation of awareness. And awareness, as well as the end of the whole issue of slapsgiving, starts with the two words this post is trying to do, SPEAK UP!