Revenge doesn't work

Jesus, teach me to treat even mean people with kindness. Amen.

"Love your enemies," Jesus taught. "Do good to people who are mean to you. If someone hits you on one cheek, let them hit the other. If they take your coat, give them your shirt, too. It's easy to be nice to people who like you -- everyone does that. But when you're nice to someone who hates you, God is proud of you."

Revenge is most people's first thought when they're hurt by another person. If someone teases you, steals your stuff or spreads rumors about you, you may think right away about how to get them back.

Forgiving a person who's mean to you might not sound like a great idea. You probably wonder if that will just make them think they can hurt you and get away with it -- and why would you want that?

This week's Gospel (Luke 6:27-38) tells us why. Jesus teaches that loving our enemies makes us better people. When someone hurts you, Jesus said, "turn the other cheek:" ignore it and keep loving them.

That's a hard idea to understand. Jesus meant that we shouldn't turn into hateful people because bad things are done to us. He wanted us to show others that being kind is a better way.

When someone hurts others, Jesus knew, sometimes it's because they're in pain themselves. Maybe they don't feel good about themselves, so they lash out at others to feel powerful. They think hurting someone else will make them feel better.

Even mean-acting people can be good underneath all the hurt. After all, when you hurt someone, it doesn't make you a bad person; you're just a person who's making a bad mistake.

Jesus didn't want us to let ourselves get hurt all the time, but He did want us to remember that revenge only creates more hurt. Treating a mean person with kindness, though, might make them embarrassed about what they're doing -- and then they'll change!