In the Gospel passage for this Sunday Jesus tells us to love our enemies, to do good to those who hate us and to turn the other cheek when someone hits us (Luke 6:20-31). This teaching is neither a checklist for a moral superstar nor is it a mandate for weakness. It is a rationale for conflict management: ‘turning the other cheek’ is a way of settling an argument.

If someone is angry with me and I become angry in return then the issue becomes my reaction rather than his antagonism. He ends up responding to my anger rather than dealing with his own emotions. If, on the other hand, I don’t hit back at him then the responsibility for the situation stays with him.

In a busy society where we are constantly under pressure to cope, not responding to something can feel counter intuitive. However, it is not always up to us to provide solutions and sometimes the wisest thing for us to do might be to say nothing and to wait for the other person to reach their own conclusions. There is an art to knowing how to do nothing well.

Weekly reflections on the Gospel for the coming Sunday are available on request. They will come once a week and will never be more than 200 words. If you would like to receive these emails then please email the Parish Secretary