“When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. ... I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you” (Mt 5:39-40, 44).
These may be the most challenging moral instructions Jesus gives to his followers. They seem like a recipe for disaster. The 16th-century philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli observed that a person who tries to be virtuous will soon come to grief among so many people who are vicious. And is this not exactly what happens to Jesus? Yes, but as his followers, we know there is much more to the story.
We know Christ’s suffering and death were followed by his resurrection, but there is a further lesson in this teaching of Jesus and the way he lived his life. He is the perfect example of moral integrity; there is no contradiction between his words and actions. He gives much more than his cloak for us and does indeed pray for his enemies from the Cross. This is one of the most powerful aspects of Jesus’ leadership, and it raises the question: How can we grow in integrity so that others might follow?
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JOSEPH MCINERNEY is vice president of leadership and ethics education for the Knights of Columbus.








