A surefire way to destroy your political enemies

Our modern political life has wrought many ills. The fastest spreading contagion is no longer viewing fellow Americans with ideologies different from our own as the loyal opposition — but as the enemy. Far too many of us regard those who do not share our views as a mortal threat to our way of life.

All progressives become Marxists hellbent on destroying America using race instead of class. All conservatives become fascists imposing their worldview on others. I know this is true because I have fallen into this pattern of thinking myself.

For some, the antidote to the ideological divide is even more separation, more focus on the self, and an obsession with what we perceive we are owed by others.

But in preparing for Lent — the 40 days before Easter when Christians commemorate Christ’s resurrection — I had to reflect on what Jesus wants me to do with a hardened heart toward others, especially as it applies to the current political and ideological divide in our country. Jesus was not political, but he was revolutionary. “Love your enemy. Do good to those that hurt you. Pray for those who persecute you,” he commanded.

As a Roman Catholic, Jesus’ words convince me that I cannot fight political battles with truth alone. Truth matters — but simply stating the truth is not enough. Truth without grace (for both yourself and the people who disagree with you) is meaningless, and will never bring healing to America. The grace I have been missing, then, is loving my Samaritans.

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Jesus’ most famous parable, from the Gospel of Luke, describes a traveler who is robbed, beaten, and left for dead on the side of the road. Two religious leaders pass by without offering any help, but a Samaritan — a descendant of the ancient Israelites — stops to care for the wounded man.

Since then, the word Samaritan has become synonymous the world over with goodness, virtue, and mercy. Even cultures that don’t spring from the Judeo-Christian tradition have embraced the phrase “good Samaritan” when passing laws to protect people from legal action if they help a stranger in distress by, for example, administering CPR.

But a closer look shows that was not Jesus’ only intent in telling the parable.

The tale’s deeper meaning is revealed by the crucial conversation Jesus had right before he shared the story of the Samaritan with his disciples. Jesus and the apostles were approached by a Jewish lawyer who asked what one must do to gain entry to heaven. This is no innocent inquiry. The lawyer was looking to trip up Jesus.

Jesus asked the lawyer what he thought the answer was. “Love God with all your heart, mind, and soul, and your neighbor as yourself,” the lawyer told Jesus. Well done, said Jesus. Do that and you’ll go to heaven.

But the lawyer wanted to define terms. “Who is my neighbor?” he asked. Jesus responded with the parable of the good Samaritan. After, Jesus asked the lawyer to say who his neighbor was. “The one who did good,” the lawyer answered.

What Jesus did in that moment was artful, and, to the Jewish people of the time, outrageous. The descendants of the ancient Israelites (Samaritans) and Jewish people of first-century Judea hated each other. They shared a common language, country, and ancestry — they were from the same culture. They lived right next to one another. And yet historians tell us they may have had more animosity toward each other than they did toward the Romans.

So for Jesus to suggest a Samaritan was good and had to be loved is akin to telling a 2023 progressive they have to act charitably and loving toward MAGA Republicans, and vice versa.

The word Jesus used for love in this story — agape, from the Greek — is a sacrificial love, a love for the good of another. Of course, in this story, Jesus is referencing one of the most important commandments: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

The world was recently given a good example of what that kind of virtue looks like.

It happened (of course) on Twitter. Last month, the conservative megastar Candace Owens said that she was confused why a famous clothing line was showcasing models in wheelchairs. Owens admitted she was open to being educated, but just didn’t get why it mattered to feature people living with disabilities.

The actress Christina Applegate — who was recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and now uses a wheelchair — shot back, justifiably slamming Owens for her views.

But a day later, the former Married with Children star circled back to Owens on Twitter with a remarkable offer. “I thought my last tweet was enough,” Applegate wrote. “But then my heart said something else. No rage.” Applegate extended an olive branch and offered to get on the phone with Owens to educate her about the challenges of being disabled.

“I will not come with anger,” Applegate declared, “I will come with love.” Owens accepted.

There, in that moment, was truth and grace. Applegate loved her Samaritan, and in doing so, is more likely to change her way of thinking. As we continue to battle for the soul of our nation, it may be good for some of us to stop and consider that the best way to meet our enemies is with love. No rage.